The Return
by AvA-181
Summary: Chap 10 up! And its a long one... Six years have passed since the Beast was driven back. So much has changed, and so much has stayed the same. What now threatens the alliance? PLease Read and Review!
1. The Return

Author's Note: I do not own Shadow Raiders or the characters presented by Mainframe Entertainment. All other characters are my original creation. I love Shadow Raiders/War planets but sadly have not seen all of the episodes. The bases for this fanfic is based on a future series concept by Beastplanet, a fanfic writer and friend. If I get some details wrong in this fic, I apologize in advance and ask that you let me know by a review of email so that I can fix them. This fic begins six years from the last episode produced with flashbacks to past events. Well, I hope you enjoy it. Again, this is my first SR fanfic, so be gentle hehe. Cheers!

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**THE RETURN**

**Chapter 1:**

"I still cant believe its been six years." Graveheart took in a deep breath as he prepared the ship for landing. Glancing over at the King that sat beside him, he realized that his feelings were not unshared. So much had changed in the six years, and so much had remained the same. They had beaten back the Beast, wining the almost endless struggle. The alliance, to the surprise of many, had survived after the defeat of the Beast Planet. Now, instead of fighting together to win the war, they worked together to survive with mutual trade agreements and aid. The Alliance of Planets had become stronger after the war, when everyone was able to understand that working together, despite being enemies for so long, was the best way to live. Despite being one of the first and strongest members of the alliance, however, Planet Ice had grown as cold and silent as its many wasteland ice sheets. The supply trading and peace had continued, but the planet itself had chosen to keep its distance. The day the silence started was a day Graveheart would never forget. He breathed out another long sigh and glanced back over to the King beside him. So much had changed, and so much had remained the same. 

"King Pyrus, we will land on Planet Ice in approximately ten minutes." Graveheart smiled slightly as Pyrus waved his hand at being called King. When they were away from the courts, Pyrus always preferred to be called simply Pyrus. Graveheart leaned back in his chair slightly as he watched the young King think to himself, wondering where his youthful but wise mind was at that moment. 

"Yes, it has been a long time." Pyrus finally stated after a pause for thought. "Too long." 

"I am actually surprised we got through this time, after so many failures." Graveheart nodded to himself. The six years of silence with Planet Ice had not gone unchallenged, but each attempt to talk with its new leader had ended up in diplomatic sessions or one excusal or another. "I guess I can understand the silence, just not six years of it." 

"Some wounds take time to heal." Pyrus rested his chin on his hands as he looked out into the stared blackness of space. "Others never heal." 

"Do you think she will be glad to see us?" Graveheart checked the landing status again after looking at the young King again. The aged wisdom that existed in the youth of Planet Fire's body never ceased to amaze him. 

"I truly don't know." Pyrus continued to stare out into the vastness of space, his thoughts distant in both place and time. His mind drifted back to where it all began. The day Planet Ice fell silent. 

*********** 

Six years ago, the Beast had been driven back and defeated. Great was the celebration and levity of the peoples of the Planetary Alliance, their cheers filling the vast void of all that had been sacrificed. The calm peace that settled over the planets left a few of its inhabitants restless. 

"Now dodge." The young Prince Pyrus spoke as he swung his staff toward the limber Zera who easily avoided it. 

"Is that all you've got?" Zera leaned on her own staff with a prideful smirk. After Jade had taken the throne of Planet Rock, Zera was forced to find a new sparing partner. She refused to call Pyrus her trainer. 

"No." Pyrus crossed his arms and returned the smirk. "What do you have? C'mon frosty, attack me." 

"Alright lava breath, but you asked for it." Zera jested with the young prince before taking up her staff in an attack maneuver. He easily dodged her first two moves, but he had trained her well. Her next quick jarring motion with one end of the staff distracted his eyes just long enough for her to up end him with the other. With a loud thud, he landed hard on his back against the thin mat. "Was that good enough for you, your highness?" She poked fun again with a prideful laugh and mocking bow. 

"Yes." Pyrus closed his eyes and winced in what seemed a great amount of pain. 

"Are you alright?" Zera's face grew a look of concern as she dropped her staff to the mat and walked to his side. "I didn't mean to hit you that hard, you big baby." 

"You didn't." Pyrus's face suddenly changed to a large smile of glowing ember teeth as he grabbed her leg and pulled her down to the mat. He landed himself on top of her, pinning her to the mat with his staff aimed at her throat. 

"Hey! You cheated!" Zera fumed because she knew she had been caught off guard. 

"Never show mercy for your enemy, and never drop your staff." He noticed her embarrassment and stood up, offering her a hand. "If it had been real, your mercy would have cost you your life." 

"I know." Zera frowned, having the lesson he had just taught her forever burned in her mind by her immense embarrassment. She accepted the offered hand after a moment of her normal stubbornness. The strange sensation that came from touching his fiery skin was something she still wasn't used to. It had been even more surprising that first day on the bridge when they realized that touching each other didn't hurt, it just felt odd. Countless generations of stories and rules from both the people of Fire and the people of Ice had been thrown out by one touch of the hand between two youths. It had always been believed that one touching the other was sure to cause horrible pain and possible death. How truly strange and eye opening it had been. They both assumed the rumors were started during the very beginnings of the horrendous wars between their peoples generations ago. Generations of believes had vanished. It was for this reason that they chose to keep it just between the two of them. They both believed that their peoples were not yet ready to accept the death of such an old and honored belief. As he let go of her hand, Zera's thoughts returned to the room around her. Her loss of pride also returned. "It was foolish of me." 

"At least this mistake you can learn from. " he gave her a reassuring smile. "And walk away from." He joked, causing her laugh away her prideful show for a moment. 

"I will remember it for next time." She assured him and herself. 

"Want me to show you a move you could have used to counter the leg grab?" They were both a little tired, but he decided that one last lesson for the day couldn't hurt. 

"I do know a move, but if you insist." Her haughtiness returned to her voice, causing Pyrus to only roll his eyes and laugh silently to himself. 

"I do." Pyrus bent down and grabbed her leg again. "Now, I have, or your enemy has, one of your legs and is about to pull it out from under you." 

"So I use the opposite leg and kick him away." She finished, assured it was the right answer. 

"Try it." He held onto her leg and felt the shift in balance as she brought her other leg up to kick him away. He simply grabbed onto that foot with his free hand, causing her to loose her balance. Zera fell hard against the mat without Pyrus having to put in any effort at all. 

"Ouch!" She winced after saying a few small curses on her way down. She brought all four arms up to her head with a continued wince. 

"Zera? Are you alright?" Pyrus leaned down to her, realizing how loud the thud against the mat had been. He realized his own mistake after the same loud thud was created again by her tail banging against the mat. He looked up just in time to see a foot heading for his chest. After a flipping motion, Zera landed on top of him with a prideful smile and his own staff pointed at his throat. 

"No mercy for your enemy." Zera chided the prince below her with a wagging finger. 

"Very cute." Pyrus rolled his eyes, his own pride hurt slightly. 

"I thought so." Zera leaned in closer with a grin, wanting to rub in her victory a little more. 

"Ahem." The sound of Graveheart clearing his throat filled the hanger, causing the two youths to jump slightly. 

"Graveheart, hello." Zera said as she stood up, a mask of false calmness shielding the nerves that fired inside of her. She wondered if Graveheart had seen them touching. If he had, she knew he would ask for an explanation before gossiping about it to the people of Fire and Ice, or worse yet her father King Cryos. She and Pyrus had been so careful, but after the war had ended they had unconsciously been less careful. 

"Hi." Pyrus waved after standing. "The 'queen' here was just teaching me a lesson." 

"I bet." Graveheart smiled slightly. "Lady Zera, your father needs you back at the general hall." 

"Alright, thank you." She nodded to Graveheart respectfully then turned to Pyrus. "Thank you for the spar." 

"You owe me a rematch." He watched as she headed up the stairs. 

"If you think you are up to the challenge." Zera called over her shoulder with a haughty laugh. 

"I think I am." Pyrus said quietly as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

"She's getting good." Graveheart stepped closer to the young prince. 

"Almost too good." Pyrus cracked his neck slightly after a few winces. 

"Pyrus, " Graveheart spoke after a moment of silence. "I know its not my place, but unless my eyes were deceiving me…" He broke off as Pyrus turned to him with a nod. 

"Yes." Pyrus answered the question he knew Graveheart was about to ask. 

"But I thought the people of Fire and Ice hurt each other if they touched. Are all the old rules and legends wrong?" Graveheart asked. 

"Yes, they are. We will not cause harm to each other, despite what the old beliefs say." 

"That's great! Does King Cryos know?" Graveheart's mind still dealt with the new information. If the peoples of Fire and Ice had know this sooner, it may have ended the wars between them generations ago. 

"No, he doesn't." Pyrus looked up to Graveheart. "And I need you to not tell him, or anyone, about it." 

"But it could change…" 

"Zera and I believe that our people aren't ready for such a drastic change. My people have lost their home and those small traditions of life is all they have left to cling to. Zera also believes that, despite her father's great moves toward peace, many would be frightened by the concept." Pyrus hoped that Graveheart would understand the ruler's point of view. 

"So it could do more harm than good right now." Graveheart said in a solemn understanding. 

"Yes, so we must keep it between the three of us, at least for now." Pyrus smiled at how loyal a man Graveheart of Rock was. How a man of Graveheart's caliber had ended as a minor was beyond him. This man of Rock was so much more. 

"Agreed." Graveheart nodded and pushed the subject as far out of his mind as he could. 

"Graveheart!" The Ice-soldier caused both Pyrus and Graveheart to look up. "Prince Pyrus." 

"What's wrong?" Graveheart took notice of the look on the soldier's face. 

"Beast drones! They are coming into the planet's atmosphere!" The soldier huffed out, longwinded after the run to get Graveheart. 

"What? Stragglers." Pyrus frowned. Over the past few weeks they had been flushing out the last of the beast drones, and ever so often dealing with suicide mission type attacks. 

"Yes. They attack the surface." The Ice-soldier confirmed. 

"Alert King Cryos." Pyrus commanded. 

"We can not. We have tried, but the signals are jammed." The soldier frowned. 

"Jammed? Where exactly is he? I just sent the Lady Zera to meet him." Graveheart frowned himself, not liking how this situation was getting worse. 

"He and Lady Zera have gone out to the Mineral Ice Plains to take care of a supply dispute with Planet Bone." 

"Let me guess, " Graveheart hated when the worst possible scenario turned out to be the true one. "the Beast Drones are heading for the Mineral Ice Plains." 

"Yes Sir." The soldier confirmed. 

****** 

"What is the dispute that Planet Bone has with the supply order, father?" Zera looked up at her father as the transport landed beside the Bone supply vessel. 

"They believe, or Emperor Femur believes rather, that the last shipment was not sufficient enough." King Cryos told his daughter as they walked across the flat snow sheet toward the Bone vessel. King Cryos had come to learn that nothing was ever 'enough' for Femur. 

"My King." The Ice soldier knelt in front of King Cryos and the Lady Zera. "We have been unable to restore communications with the palace." 

"A storm perhaps?" Zera questioned. 

"No storms were on the last available readout, Lady Zera." The soldier replied. "But my readouts may have been wrong." The soldier finished, not wanting to correct the Lady Zera in public. 

"Of course." Zera nodded. A glint in the day light caught her eyes. "Father, what is that?" 

"What?" King Cryos looked up to try and see what his daughter was looking at. "Commander, is that what I think it is?" 

"King Cryos, " The solder positioned his telescope up to the sky and followed the glimmering object. As the glimmering object became several glimmering objects, the soldier nodded. "I am afraid so." 

"Zera, go back to the ship." Cryos looked down at his daughter. 

"But father, what is it?" Zera kept her eyes on the sky. 

"Beast Drones." Cryos frowned. "Summon the forces!" 

"Yes, my King." The soldier bowed again and headed to get the troops that were available. Without communication to the palace, however, their numbers were limited. 

"Zera, go…" But before King Cryos could finish, the small fleet of Beast ships opened fire, tearing up the snowy ground under the Ice-soldier's feet. 

***** 

"I hope we make it in time." Pyrus called out over the radio as their forces headed to intercept the Beast Drones. 

"We will. We have to." Grave heart replied. 

"Don't worry kid, I have Bone Soldiers on that supply ship." Femur joined in the conversation. 

"Femur?" Pyrus was surprised to hear his voice. 

"Just got here to make sure my shipment was being filled. Miss me?" Femur laughed and took the rear, as usual, of the fleet. 

"Incoming!" The call of the Ice soldiers broke over the radio through static interference. The jamming signal had been fixed. "I repeat! We have…" Then the radio went silent again. The static went in and out as sounds of yells, blaster fire, and a loud rumbling movement filled the ears of the ship fleet. 

"What was that?" Femur spoke nervously. 

"Look!" Pyrus pointed out across the flat plain of ice. The Beast ships were firing relentlessly at the few soldiers on the ground. Pockets of ice and snow began to collapse and fall into a great cavern that lay below the ice sheet. "Alright troops, lets get those drones to attack us for a while and take them out!" 

"Understood!" One of the Ice commanders replied. They engaged the Beast ships and the beast drone with what seemed an unusual ease. These straggling forces had proven to be more of an annoyance than a threat. When the beast ships turned desperately suicidal, however, they became a great danger. 

"Pyrus, look." Graveheart pointed as three of the Beast ships broke off their attack and set their course in a deathly nose dive for the planet surface. 

"Great Fire protect them." Pyrus sent his ships to intercept, but he knew they would never make it in time. They could only watch as the Beast ships tore through the ice sheet and exploded in the deep cavern below. The ice plain trembled with the force as the cavern began to swallow it whole. Everyone on the ground began to scramble for a part of the ice sheet that wasn't collapsing into the dark depths of planet Ice. As the ice sheet began to reestablish its stability, all eyes were on the gaping hole that now existed where the Bone supply ship and Ice convoy had been. Pyrus took grasp of the situation and asked a question he feared the answer for. "Where are King Cryos and Lady Zera?" 

******* 

"Father, you're slipping!" Zera grasped desperately at her father's hand with all four of her arms. She could feel the edge of the glacier cracking beneath their weight, and the look in her father's eyes tore at her heart. 

"Zera." King Cryos looked up at his beautiful daughter with a calmness that frightened Zera even more. He smiled at how much she looked like her mother. Another cracking sound in the ice beneath Zera's outstretched body brought a gentle commanding sound to his voice. "Zera, it cannot hold us both for much longer." 

'I know. I am going to pull you up!" Zera lost all prideful mannerisms as tears began to run and freeze against her cheeks. She knew that she was unable to pull her father up. What was worse was that she knew that her father was well aware of that fact. 

"Zera." Cryos looked up at her with the pride and love of a father. 

"They will be here any minute to help!" Zera could hear the distant voices of the reinforcements through the wind that blew across the barren plain. 

"Zera." He repeated in the same calmness. 

"No, I wont!" Zera knew what her father intended, and she would have no part of it. 

"Let go, my daughter." He smiled up at her through tear filled eyes, knowing it would be the last time he would see her face. 

"I can not! I will not!" Zera tightened her grip as she felt her father loosen his. The edge of the glacier made another large cracking sound. "Please." She whispered through the winds. 

"Be strong, my daughter." 

"Please, no." 

"I love you." As the last words to fall past his lips came forth, the ice sheet beneath Zera crumbled away, sending them both into a fall. 

"No!" Zera cried as her father's hands slipped from hers and a strong arm of rock wrapped around her waist, pulling her away from the edge. "Father, no!" She screamed through the tears and wind with her empty arms outstretched, Graveheart carrying her further and further away from the collapsing edge of the glacier. All hopes disappeared down into the endless dark cavern that her father had fallen into. 

"Zera, I'm so sorry. I wasn't fast enough." Graveheart ached with sorrow at the loss as he set Zera down onto the stable ground. 

"Father." Was all she could manage to whisper as she knelt on the ice and looked at her empty hands. 

The Ice soldiers began to close in around the group of Pyrus, Graveheart, and Bone soldiers from the supply ship. Zera slowly looked up from her empty hands and raised her tear filled eyes to the blowing wind and hazy sky. With all the sorrow, blame, anger, and emotional devastation she held, she opened her mouth and let forth a deathly howl to the sky. Graveheart and Pyrus took a step back as they listened to her heart-wrenching call. One by one, the ice solders all knelt and took off their helmets. They lifted their faces to the wind and sky and joined their Lady in her call of sorrow. The haunting call echoed across the barren wasteland and seemed loud enough to have been heard from the far reaches of space. As suddenly as it had begun, the howling ended, and Planet Ice fell silent. 

******** 

And silent the planet of Ice would remain for six long years. 

"Pyrus? Control to King Pyrus!" Graveheart had been trying to get the young king's attention for several moments after the ship had successfully landed in one of Planet Ice's hanger bays. 

"This is the same hanger bay, on that day when.." His words trailed of slightly before he stood and faced Graveheart. "Ok, Graveheart, lets get this over with." 

"Still don't like diplomacy I take it?" Graveheart raised an eyebrow. King Pyrus was very capable at diplomatic missions, but it was obvious how much he hated them. 

"Its not the diplomacy itself, it's the people I must be diplomatic to." Pyrus sighed and pointed down the corridor where a group of Ice-soldiers escorted Consul Shard. 

"He is a little on the frost-bitten side." Graveheart nodded. 

"Frost-bitten? More like frozen solid." Pyrus got in one last smile to Graveheart before he was forced to put on a more 'kingly' guise. 

"King Pyrus." Consul Shard only half bowed before Pyrus, and he didn't even acknowledge Graveheart. "Welcome again to Planet Ice." 

"Thank you. You will remember the Ambassador of Rock, Graveheart." Pyrus hated when Shard did not acknowledge Graveheart. 

"Consul Shard." Graveheart nodded a small greeting, after a slight flinch at being called ambassador. He had nearly begged Jade to leave him out of politics, but she remained adamant that she could trust no one else to represent her and the people of Planet Rock. Diplomatic missions, what fun, he thought as he and the Consul Shard exchanged a less than friendly glance. 

"Well, if you will follow me, we will get to business immediately." Shard began to walk off down the corridor. "We have several supply issues to discuss, as well as a new aid agreement with Planet Bone. They want us to split up the dividend or some such unfathomable nonsense." 

"Wait." Pyrus called after as he and Graveheart began to follow. "Are we not to see the Empress?" 

"The Empress is very busy. She need not be bothered by such pettiness as supply orders." Shard replied without stopping. 

"We have news that she would do well to hear, and that you would do well to inform her of our presence." Pyrus stopped in his steps with growing agitation at Shards disposition. 

"Very well, I will tell her your news." Shard sighed and turned around. 

"No. We will tell her ourselves." Pyrus inflamed his eyes to get across his point. Time and time again Shard had found ways of keeping the Empress from meeting face to face with the other planetary leaders. Now there was no time for diplomatic avoidance. 

"As you wish." Consul Shard bowed slightly again, a cool anger rising in his throat. He truly did not favor the rude boy who played king of Planet Fire. Shard didn't think much of King Pyrus's pet rock either. "Follow me then." 

"Very well." Pyrus hung back with Graveheart for a moment and gave him a small smirk. "I don't think he likes us." 

"I know. My feelings are hurt." Graveheart smirked sarcastically. The sound of Shard clearing his throat caused Graveheart and King Pyrus to drop the smirks and follow after. 

****** 

"I can not do this." The young Empress Zera sat down heavily on her bed with a low melancholic sigh. "I will just say that I am busy." 

"My Empress, you cant keep avoiding them like this." Crystal sat down beside her Empress and began fixing a hair pin that had slipped. 

"It has been to long. So much has changed." Zera frowned and folded her hands in her lap as Crystal used all four hands to try and manage Zera's icy mane. The crown she wore had grown heavier with each passing year. 

"Its has been to long, my Lady, and that is why you must see them." Crystal smiled as she folded her two back arms against her shoulder blades. "I know what worries you, but they will not be angry at your avoidance. You had your reasons." 

"Six years of reasons?" Zera looked at Crystal who had always been her voice of reason. 

"They are understanding. They are your friends." Crystal gave her lady a smile of confidence. 

"Yes, my dear friends. I hope they do not think that I have forgotten them, or all that they did for my father and I." Zera frowned again. Her father would have been disappointed in her avoidance of diplomacy, and especially disappointed in her avoidance of her alliance friends. 

"Which is why the silence must end." Crystal stood and waited for her Lady to follow. 

"You are right. Thank you for your continued council." Zera nodded and stood from the bed. Crystal had begun as a simple attendant, but her loyalty and friendship had proven ever more valuable than her grooming skills. 

"It is my honor to, My Lady." Crystal bowed to Zera out of deep respect. "They await you in the Great Hall." 

"Very well." Zera took in a deep breath and took on the air of an Empress as she began down the long empty corridor. Her tall and slender blue ice frame was one of beauty and grace. It commanded the same awe that her mother's own presence had demanded. Her swift footsteps and muscular tone also demanded acknowledgement of her physical attributes, and the crown that sat upon her icy mane demanded respect. A crown of respect she did not always carry willingly. Her staff rang and echo against the crystalline ice corridor as she stopped before the large doors of the Great Hall. After looking over herself in the icy reflection, she nodded to Crystal who stood only a few steps behind. "Let us end this silence." 

******* 

"You will wait here for the Empress." Shard almost commanded as he gave the two another look over. He took in a deep breath and turned to leave. 

"Thanks." Graveheart said in a barely audible tone. As the large doors closed, Graveheart and Pyrus had to stop themselves from laughing. "I think he gets more stiff every time we see him." 

"He did seem to have more ice-fleas up his robes than usual." The young king hissed a muffled laugh through clenched teeth. 

"I think its because he has finally run out of excuses to give us and the Empress." Graveheart still fought back a laugh at Pyrus's ice-flea comment. 

"Ah, so you are thinking the same as I?" Pyrus nodded. 

"It makes sense. I think these six years of silence owes itself to him. It makes more sense than the Empress being conveniently busy every time we came. It would also explain his uneasiness with us finally meeting with her." Graveheart spoke as he looked about the large hall of ice. He glanced over at Pyrus who had his eyes set on the large throne that set at the top of a large flight of steps. 

"Perhaps, or perhaps she simply didn't want to see us." Pyrus kept his eyes on the empty throne before them. "After what happened its understandable. We let her down. We let her father down." 

"She pardoned us all from blame in her coronation speech." Graveheart countered, though he had always carried a small tinge of guilt with him about the matter. 

"Words are words, Graveheart." He let out a small sigh and longed for a change in subject. He let his mind slip back in time again to way things had once been. He let a small laugh escape him as he remembered what a stubborn and strong willed girl Zera had been. "Do you think she has changed at all?" 

"We are about to find out." Graveheart whispered as the large doors behind the throne began to open. 

"Leave us." The voice that echoed into the room from beyond the door was feminine yet strong and commanding. The sometimes shrill commanding voice of the young princess had been replaced by a calm gentleness that brought an air of age and wisdom to her words. The four guards left the room in silent haste. The tall, slender, and regal figure that followed the voice into the hall caused both Graveheart and Pyrus to pause in their breaths. With her graceful stride, she made her way to the front of the elevated throne with her attendant Crystal a few steps behind. The doors to the Great Hall closed behind her as she looked down at the two before her. She felt undeserving in her position so high above them. With a deep and silent breath, she made her way down the several steps to bring herself eye-level with her guests. 

"Empress Zera." Graveheart broke the silence as he bowed his head in respect to her. As he rose to meet her eyes again, he caught a small glimpse of the strong and happy child he once knew in the melancholic stillness of her gaze. "It has been a long time." 

"Too long. " Her soft voice smiled at him, though her lips did not. After Graveheart gave her a nod of agreement, she turned her solemn gaze to the young king before her. 

"Empress Zera." He too bowed his head respectfully to her, but did not lower his eyes. The change that had occurred in the young princess he had know was startling. After a long glance between them, he grew tired of the imperialistic guise and broke a small smile. "You got taller." 

"One tends to do that with age." At first, her calm gaze remained. As King Pyrus rolled his eyes at her comment mockingly, however, a small smile made its way across her lips. Much had changed, but other things had not changed at all. 

"Its good to see you." Pyrus returned her smile. 

"And you." She turned and faced Graveheart with the small smile still on her lips. "Both of you." More smiles and glances passed between the three before she noticed Graveheart's eyes drifting to the silent youth of Ice who stood a few paces off. "Please come forward Crystal. I would like you to meet…my friends." 

"As you wish, Empress." Crystal spoke in a gentile and soft spoken voice as she stepped forward. She bowed before Graveheart and King Pyrus. "I am honored to meet you." 

"Crystal has been my personal attendant for some time now, and she is my friend." Zera motioned toward Crystal who slowly raised to meet their eyes. 

"The honor is ours, I am sure." Graveheart gave a small bow to Crystal, causing her to smile humbly. 

"A pleasure." King Pyrus nodded his head to Crystal with a smile. "So you are the one who has kept the Empress in line all these years?" 

"Oh no, I mean…The Empress does not need.." Crystal found herself unsure of how to respond to such a question. 

"It is alright, Crystal." Zera smiled at the shy girl then gave Pyrus the evil eye that only a woman possesses. "King Pyrus is just being rude." 

"Oh." Crystal blinked, even more confused now that her usually stoic Empress and the two guests were laughing slightly. 

"Perfectly good question." Pyrus shot back. 

"I see Graveheart has been keeping you in line." Zera retorted. 

"No comment." Graveheart had to stifle another laugh. 

"Thanks Graveheart." Pyrus crossed his arms. 

"Any time, Your Highness." Graveheart replied through a grin. Slowly, his grin faded as he remembered their true reason for the visit. "Empress, I am afraid there is motive behind our visit besides a long overdue reunion." 

"The Consul Shard has informed me." Zera put all joking aside returned to her somber visage. "What is this matter that you were unable to discuss with him?" 

"It is important that we keep this between the planetary leaders at the present time." Pyrus said as he gave a quick glance to Crystal. 

"I understand." Crystal bowed her head respectfully. "I shall be waiting beyond the doors if you are in need of my services, Empress." 

"Thank you." Zera nodded to Crystal with a small smile as she watched her attendant leave the room. Her smile ended as she turned to face Graveheart and Pyrus. "What is this secretive news?" 

"Zera, " Pyrus gained a small look at remorse about having to be the bearer of such news. "We believe that the threat of the Beast Planet has returned." 


	2. The Beast Cometh

**Chapter 2: The Beast Cometh**

The crystalline room stood in stunned silence as the words continued to echo in the mind of the young Empress Zera. The past years flickered and disappeared in an instant. All that mattered now was the present and what could happen in the future. With the few words of King Pyrus, the nightmare had returned. She wanted to run as the fear returned to her, she wanted to cry as the pain returned to her, she wanted to disappear again and fall back into her melancholic despair, and she wanted to cry out in the maddening anger that she felt. Yet with all of these emotions, she found herself unable to make a single move or take in a single breath. 

"Zera?" Pyrus reached out toward her as she stood staring blankly ahead, her mind racing in a silent chaos. 

"So the day has finally come." Zera turned away from them to hide any appearance of emotional turmoil that might manifest itself on her stoic face. 

"You have expected this, your highness?" Graveheart asked. 

"Yes." The whispered word rang across the ice cavern within the quietness that followed. After a small breath and a long contemplation, she turned back to them. "I knew that the dream of the Beast Planet being destroyed was a far fetched one. Something that horrible, that vile…" She paused for a small cringe in her memories. "that evil is far more difficult to be rid of. Emperor Sternum's sacrifice of the Prison Planet bought us time, but it did not buy us freedom." 

"If you believed that the Beast would return, then why didn't you tell anyone?" Pyrus again took a few steps toward her, and again she turned her back to them. 

"Who would take seriously the ramblings of a foolish child who cost Planet Ice its King." Zera's voice remained cold and unemotional, as if she was stating known fact. 

Graveheart and Pyrus were left without a retort. They looked at each other as Zera remained with her back to them, staring at some unseen memory. The secret of Planet Ice's silent years was out. It was not because she blamed them for the death of King Cryos, but instead it was because she blamed herself. Graveheart and Pyrus were unsure of what to say in this situation. Now each felt a tinge of guilt for letting the six years pass by. Perhaps if they had pushed a little harder, they would be without the drift that now existed between them. 

"Zera, " Pyrus stood beside her and waited for her to look up at him. That moment never came. 

"Empress Zera." Shard's voice called out across the stillness of the Great Hall. "I have need to speak with you." 

"It can not wait?" Zera did not look away from whatever distant thought she was staring at. Though she knew this matter was more important than anything Shard had need of, she longed for a reason to get away from it. 

"I am afraid not, your Highness." Shard kept his head bowed. "It will only take a moment." 

"Very well." Zera blinked a few times, dissipating whatever thoughts she had been focused on. She finally turned to Graveheart and Pyrus. "You have proof of this, I am sure." 

"Yes, your Highness." Graveheart nodded and held up a data card. 

"We will reconvene in the conference room once I am finished with this other matter. Crystal will show you the way." Without another word, she left the room as stoically as she had entered it. 

"Well." Graveheart let out a deep breath as the door shut, leaving he and Pyrus standing alone in the room. "You wanted to know if she had changed at all." 

"Its like that's not even her." Pyrus crossed his arms and turned to Graveheart. "For a moment, it felt like old times again, but the rest of the time…I didn't even recognize her." 

"She grew up." Graveheart shrugged lightly. "There is a lot of her father in her, too." Zera had taken on the stoic mannerisms that had made Cryos so respectable. 

"I still cant believe what she said." Pyrus shook his head. All this time he believed she blamed them. He felt a fool to have let the drift last so long. 

"Believe it, your Highness." Crystal's voice called softly along the ice walls. "It is a deep sadness that she has carried as heavily as the crown she bares upon her head." 

"But why? The people do not blame her." Graveheart spoke as he and Pyrus turned to face the soft-spoken attendant. 

"What the people wish for their ruler and what the ruler wishes for themselves are often two different things." Crystal took a few small and delicate steps toward them. Taller and thinner than Zera, she looked like a delicate snowflake that might break at any moment. Her long silvery main ended just before her tail began, covering the two arms that lay tucked into her shoulder blades. Though appearing meek and delicate, the silver-irises of her eyes conveyed an unseen strength. Her form looked the age of Zera, but her voice spoke with her true aged knowledge. "If you will please follow me." 

"Of course." Graveheart nodded before Crystal turned to lead them out of the large doors and down a long corridor. 

"I haven't been to this part of the palace in a long time." Pyrus spoke to the group as his eyes looked about. 

"Usually, no one but the immediate palace staff and guard travels this route." Crystal informed them. 

"What is this?" Pyrus paused before a pair of ornately carved doors 

"That is the Empress's personal sitting room." Crystal looked up at the doors for a moment. "This is where she comes to sit and talk." 

"Talk to who?" Graveheart joined the two standing at the doors. 

"Her father." Crystal looked between the two of them for a long moment. "I could get in trouble for this, but I know what high respect the honored King Cryos held for you." Before Pyrus or Graveheart could ask, she pushed open one of the large doors. A warm draft of air drifted from the room beyond as she ushered them inside. The small room held a few benches, a skylight to the sun, and an eternal pyre burned before a life size statue of King Cryos. He stood with his stoic face raised toward the sun, one arm lifting the Staff of Frore skyward in victory. Without word, all three knelt before the statue in deep respect. After a moment of silence, they stood and looked back at the statue. 

"I thought the Staff of Frore was lost in the fall." Pyrus looked at the sacred artifact. All rulers of Ice had carried the relic as a sign of their standings. It was to remind them of their duty and the honor they must live up to as kings. 

"No. It was recovered with…" Crystal stopped her words for a moment. "the body of beloved Cryos." 

"Then why does Zera not carry it?" Pyrus took his eyes away from the staff and turned to Crystal. 

"She did not feel…" Crystal chose her wordings carefully as to not betray the trust Zera had placed in her consul. "that she was ready to carry the staff." 

"Its such an honored tradition." Graveheart finally spoke after he took his captivated eyes away from the statue. 

"Perhaps someday she will carry it." Crystal said as she moved toward the doors. After they had all exited, she quietly shut doors and continued to walk down the hallway. 

"When she feels she is ready?" Pyrus said in deep thought. 

"Yes. When she is ready." Crystal spoke with a small nod. After that, the group fell quiet with each member in their own thoughts. 

****** 

"Get them ready and send them immediately." Zera looked at Shard as she handed him back the digital pad. He had interrupted them for a trivial supply matter. Though she was glad for the momentary escape, she knew what his real motive in the interruption had been. 

"Of course, Empress." Shard took the digital pad from her with a bow of the head. He paused for a moment to access the situation with his usual observant mannerism. "Empress, if I may be of service in the matter that troubles you, then please do not hesitate to call upon me." 

"I will, soon." She could tell he wasn't pleased with her response. The curiosity of the secret was driving him mad. It was very rare for her to keep things from him, and so when she did he became flustered. If the news had not been so grave, his flustered attitude may have been slightly amusing. 

"Of course, my Empress." Shard bowed respectfully with a sigh of defeat. He would have to wait to hear what ever news they were discussing. He hated to wait. 

"If that is all, then I must continue with my previous engagement." Zera was not in a hurry to get back to unwelcome situation, but now she felt herself wanting to be rid of Shard's prying glances. 

"Of course, Empress." Shard said again without rising from his bow. He rose only after she had disappeared down the hallway toward the conference room. It would only be a matter of time before whatever they were discussing would make its way to him. The question he now faced was whether or not he wanted to wait. 

****** 

"We shall wait here for the Empress Zera." Crystal stood beside the round control table and moved her arm to offer Pyrus and Graveheart to take a seat. 

"Thank you." Pyrus nodded to Crystal and took a seat. 

"Yes, thank you." Graveheart sat next to Pyrus. "Do you think it will be long?" 

"No." Crystal sighed slightly. "Knowing Shard, he wished to interrupt Lady Zera in order to find out what you were discussing." 

"Ah. I see." Pyrus nodded, liking Shard even less. The inflection in Crystal's voice told him that she wasn't exactly fond of Shard either. 

"There should be no further interruptions. " Crystal surveyed to two before turning to the sound of the control room door opening. 

"Yah Yah, I know the way." Femur swaggered into the door, followed by some very distraught ice-guards. 

"Femur?" Pyrus blinked a few times. 

"Hey kid! Sorry I'm late, but apparently the guards weren't told I was coming." Femur rolled his eyes in a laugh. "Can you believe that!" 

"Imagine that." Graveheart smirked. 

"Graveheart!" Femur swaggered over to him. "How are ya? Enjoying the good life?" Femur nudged Graveheart a bit with a wide grin. "Work'n for Jade still 'pay'n off'…if you know what I mean." 

"Femur…" Graveheart rolled his eyes, but had to laugh slightly. 

"Heya toots!" Femur turned to Crystal with a suave grin. "Long time no see." 

"Good day to you, Ambassador Femur." Crystal bowed slightly. Having dealt with Femur on a number of occasions for supply and negotiation disputes, she was used to his mannerisms. "Is there anything I can get you?" 

"Ya, how about the Empress. We do get to actually see her this time?" Femur kept his suave attitude. 

"We already have." Pyrus answered for Crystal. 

"Oh really. Well where is 'miss high-and-mighty' ?" Femur felt sour for being left out. 

"Right behind you." Zera's unexpected voice caused those in the room to jump slightly, especially Femur. 

"Oh, Empress Zera." Femur turtled slightly. "What I meant was…" His words became incoherent mumbles as he turned to face her, his eyes slowly making their way up her figure. "Wow. You got tall, toots." 

"So I've been told." Zera gave a small hint of a smile. Despite Femur's mannerisms, he always seemed to relax the situation. 

"Good to see ya." Femur grinned widely as he hiked himself up into one of the chairs around the table. 

"I was surprised to hear of your resignation of the throne to Sternum." Zera took a few steps closer to the group. 

"Ya, well." Femur shrugged slightly. "I figured it was either I spend a few years on the throne until Sternum found a way to get rid of me, or I live a good, long, and safe life as an Ambassador." He grinned even more. "It came with all the perks, and without the day to day death threats." 

"Ambassador Femur! Wait for me!" Pelvis cried out as he stumbled his way through the door. 

"Oh ya, " Femur rolled his eyes and pointed toward Pelvis. "it came with him too." 

"Sorry I'm late, but the guards simply insisted on doing a full search." Pelvis quipped, not sounding exactly annoyed at being fully searched by the ice-guards. "I seem to have some sort of weapons reputation." He flew one of his arms in the air in a quick dismissal of the reputation. 

"I wonder why." Pyrus smirked. 

"Indeed." Zera looked over at Pelvis as he finally realized who she was. 

"Oh my! Empress Zera!" Pelvis bowed after an exuberant exclamation of disbelief. "You look simply amazing!" 

"Thank you. At least you didn't comment on how tall I have gotten." Zera again let the small smile sweep across her lips. The rest of the group let out a small laugh, causing Pelvis to raise an eyebrow in confusion. They were gathered together again after so long. In a surreal nature, it almost felt as if it had never changed. It was as if the past six years of silence had been an odd pause in reality. The group was nearly complete. Zera, however, never expected the missing member to show. To many words had been spoken, to many feelings had been hurt, and there had been six long years to widen that wound. 

******** 

"We just received word from Graveheart." The young Prince Pyrus walked in the meeting hall of Planet Rock where Zera and Tekla waited for the news. "Jade is now leader of Planet Rock." 

"I knew she could do it." The Lady Zera nodded slightly herself. The look on her face was neither one of happiness nor anger. 

"It should not have been her." Tekla stood from her chair and walked to a nearby window. Voxx trailed behind her as she gazed out over the terrain of Planet Rock. Her feelings on the subject were obvious. She was angry at Jade for her betrayal, and even more aggravated by Graveheart's reaction. Jade's betrayal only seemed to make him love her more. 

"I understand your feelings, Tekla." Zera stood from her seat. "She did betray the alliance, but if Graveheart has forgiven her, then we must respect it." 

"Why should we?" Tekla kept her pain filled eyes faced out the window. "His judgment has been clouded by his feelings for her." 

"Maybe so, but she passed the test." Pyrus walked to Zera's side. "She has proven worthy to rule Rock." 

"And besides, Graveheart was right." Zera added in. "Jade followed her loyalty to Mantle, her king." 

"But she nearly got us all killed!" Tekla finally turned to face them, a deep anger in her voice. Jade had betrayed them, then Graveheart in his forgiveness, and now these two before her. 

"So have you." Zera narrowed her eyes, not liking Tekla's tone of voice. 

"And Graveheart forgave you." Pyrus remained calm in his youthful wisdom. 

"That was different." Tekla's tone drew in both the anger and the pain she was feeling. "I thought I was helping the alliance. Jade was trying to destroy the alliance!" 

"That is true." Pyrus remained vigilant in his effort to keep this from turning into a large argument. "but I cant condemn her for following the orders of her King." 

"She should have put the good of the Alliance over the wishes of a very stubborn King." Tekla stood strong in her resolve. 

"She was a loyal subject. I would expect nothing less from those who will someday serve under me." Zera stood just as strong. "Graveheart was right, we have no right to judge this." 

"No right?!" Tekla's eyes widened. She could not believe to change of opinion that these two now presented her. They were letting their emotional ties to Jade interfere with their judgment, although her feelings for another were interfering with hers. 

"Jade did what she thought was right in order to be loyal to her King," Pyrus leaned on her staff slightly, not liking where this argument was taking the trio. "and to Graveheart." 

"To Graveheart? She nearly killed him!" Tekla had had just about enough of this conversation. These two youths were ganging up on her in a matter that the couldn't possibly fully understand. 

"She was trying to save him." Pyrus did not react to Tekla's raised voice. 

"What do you mean?" Zera turned to Pyrus, a twinkle of curiosity in her angered eyes. 

"Tekla, you asked what Jade's price was to betray the alliance." Pyrus turned from Zera's eyes to Tekla's. " Well besides honor, her price was Graveheart." 

"What are you talking about?" Tekla crossed her arms, refusing to let go of her opinion. 

"Lord Mantle promised Jade that he would give Graveheart back his honorable rights as a Citizen of Rock if she completed the task." Pyrus wondered how the new bit of news would turn the tide of the argument. 

"An empty promise." The news of Jade's price only caused the pain in her heart to grow deeper. "It changes nothing." 

"Now who is letting their personal feelings effect their judgment?" Zera placed both hands on her hips. She had known of Tekla's feelings toward Graveheart for some time now, and now realized what her true anger at Jade was fueled by. 

"Zera," Pyrus defiantly didn't like where this was going. "Lets just give her some time to think." 

"Why? It needs to be said." Zera kept her eyes focused on Tekla who returned the look. 

"What do you know of a woman's heart, child." The knives that she felt stabbing her in the back were driving her to madness. 

"More than you think." Zera's fists clinched as she refused to back down. 

"Lets just all take a break." Pyrus looked between the stubborn two. 

"I think all that can be said has been said." Tekla began to walk out of the room. 

"Tekla, " Zera walked after her. "Just because he does not share in your feelings does not mean he does not care for you a great deal. You are a dear friend to him, and to us. But Jade has been forgiven, and we have no right to condemn Graveheart in his reasons for doing so." 

"A true friend, " Tekla turned to face Zera. "would not suddenly turn against me or pretend she knew anything of my heart." Tekla's face contorted to fight back the sadness that began to mix with her anger. 

"Just as a true friend would not so easily cast aside our advice." Zera too fought back the frozen emotions that now thawed inside of her. 

"So it is said." Tekla breathed deeply to rid her chest of a sob before turning. She stormed out of the hall, the mechanical door slamming shut behind her. 

"So it is said." Zera's anger melted away to reveal her true sadness as she sat heavily down in a chair. 

"She just needs some time." Pyrus stood behind Zera and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think you both just need some time." 

"What have I done." Zera breathed heavily and placed her head in her hands, a deep silence filling the room. Knowing that Pyrus was in the room with her was the only thing that kept her from falling into tears. She wanted to push Tekla in order to get her to see the truth in Graveheart's decision, but she now realized that she had pushed Tekla to far. Instead of backing away and letting it go, she had pushed harder. She had pushed Tekla away. 

"Don't worry." Pyrus let out a small sigh into the silent stuffiness of the room as he gave Zera's shoulder a small squeeze. Those two could be so stubborn, he thought. "She'll be ok in a few days." 

"I wish I could share your optimism." Her words caused Pyrus to frown as her small hand reached up and touched his. Zera knew it would take more than a few days to repair this damage. 

******* 

"So then I says to Sternum, is that your new girl or is it a bag of canolies!" Femur chuckled deeply. 

"Bet he wasn't pleased about that." Pyrus smirked. 

"Most certainly not!" Pelvis flung his hand in the air with a roll of the eyes. "And Femur has the scar to prove it." 

"Hey, that's Ambassador Femur to you." Femur grimaced as the room laughed at Pelvis's comment. 

"Of course." Pelvis said after mocking Femur behind his back as usual. 

"What about you, doll? What have you been up to all these years?" Femur looked over to Zera who stood in deep contemplation about something. 

"Zera?" Crystal placed a hand on Zera's shoulder. "Empress Zera?" 

"Oh, forgive me." Zera awoke from her thoughts. She looked around the room and all those gathered. "I was just thinking." 

"No problem toots." Femur quirked a brow. Zera had never asked for anyone's pardon before, especially his. These six year had defiantly changed her. 

"Perhaps it is best if we continue with the earlier discussion." Zera looked to the rest of those in the room. 

"I will wait outside." Crystal bowed and began to walk out the doors. 

"No, Crystal." Zera looked up to Crystal's tall stature as the thoughts of lost friendship returned to her. "If I can not trust you with this, then who can I trust?" 

"Yes, please, stay." Graveheart nodded to Crystal who looked to him for a secondary permission. 

"I am honored." Crystal again bowed her head humbly and stood beside her Empress. 

"Oh, the suspense is killing me!" Pelvis squealed as he plopped down in a chair a few seats away from Femur. 

"I wish." Femur mumbled. 

********* 

Darkness and death hold no standing against that which is the Beast Planet. Planetary systems tremble with fear at its coming. The unstoppable force driven by an unquenchable hunger, and now a new force served to drive the great Beast: revenge. Hunting through the systems for those who damned it to the far reaches of space, it moved with a strong and steady rhythm toward its pray. The planets it consumed into its pitted belly of void matter only seemed to fuel its desire to taste the sweetness of the planets that had defeated it in battle. At the heart of the Beast lay the true seeker of revenge, who's blood thirsty talons reached out into the blackness of space for his next victim. The black matter of the Beast seemed to never dissipate, and neither did that of the soldiers that fell in battle. Regenerated and reborn to fight another day. An enemy once thought defeated and dead now awaited his chance to return the favor to his would be killer. 

"The system draws near, and with it the time for my revenge." Blokk screamed a sinister laugh through the bowels of the Beast as it consumed the once grand planet of Woodera. 

******* 

"And this was received how long ago?" Zera spoke in a stunned softness as the video playback filled the room with screams broken by static. 

"Three days ago." Pyrus responded. "Given the time it would take this message to reach us from the scouting party we sent, the message was recorded almost two weeks ago." 

"How far was the scouting party?" Zera tried desperately to blink the images from her mind. 

"They had just reached sector Theta-4, Empress." Graveheart answered as he too attempted to clear his head. He had listened to the screams on that transmission countless times in the past days, but it never became easier to hear them. 

"Was Theta-4 inhabited?" Zera dreaded the answer to this question. 

"We aren't exactly sure." Pyrus shook his head. "The scouts had just began planetary surveys when they were hit." He paused a moment to watch as Zera struggled to keep her stoic composure. "From the few readings we received, we believed that at least two of the nine planets in the sector were inhabited." 

"By Frore." Crystal whispered a silent prayer as she shook her head. 

"You said it doll." Femur swallowed hard. 

"What are we to do!" Pelvus exclaimed, most distraught. "Theta-4 is only eight sectors away, and with the speed that the Beast moves…what are we to do!" 

"That, " Pyrus looked into Zera's stoic amber eyes. "is up to you, Empress." 

"You still command the largest fleet of ships in the alliance." Graveheart added as he watched the silent conversation that took place between the eyes of the Empress of Ice and the Lord King of Fire. 

"Should we start the world engines and high tail it out of here?" Femur added his own advice. 

"Empress?" Crystal watched as Zera tore here eyes away from the Fire Lord. Zera stood and stared at the static filled screen for a moment as the screams replayed in her mind. It would be so easy to turn the engines on and run again. Eventually, she knew, the Beast would catch up. How many planets would fall into its deathly clutches this time? How many had it already consumed in its mad voyage toward their alliance? How many more screams would they have to hear before they finally stopped? 

"Well, toots, should we get ready to go?" Femur restated the question. 

"Yes." Zera turned to face the burning eyes of Pyrus again for a moment before turning to face the rest of the group. "Yes. Prepare for world engine ignition. We are heading for sector Theta-4" 

"But thats toward the Beast planet!" Pelvus nearly fainted. 

"Yes, " Zera looked back to Pyrus who gazed at her with a new respect in the burning flame in his eyes. "Yes, it is." 


	3. Scouting for Honor

**Chapter 3: Scouting for Honor **

The stars passed by like rays of light in the night sky. Even after standing there, watching them for some time, it was hard to single one star out from the group as they flew past the atmosphere of the planet in movement. It was strange to see the stars move like that again after seeing them as stationary objects for so long. Then again, it wasn't the stars that were moving. The fact that the planets were once again on the move put the Queen of Rock in a hidden state of uneasiness. So much had taken place the last time the planets were on the move. Now, she had the fate of her entire people resting on her solid rock shoulders. Shoulders, that at a second glance, seemed to not set as high as they once did. Over the years, having the weight of her world rest upon them, her once proud and commanding visage had begun to look tired and worn away. Only with the new possibility of battle once again did she, for but a single instance, take on a look of the old Jade refreshed. 

"My Queen, if I may have a word with you." Graveheart kneeled behind Jade as he finally broke the silence of the night. He had been standing there, watching her watch the moving night sky in silence, for quite some time.

"Only if you stop bow'n like dat." Jade turned around with one hand on her hip, happy in a way to have him save her from her own thoughts.

"Sorry." Graveheart rose quickly and gave her a smile. Even after six years, he still found it hard to forgo the formalities that had been imprinted on him as a minor.

"You should be." Jade winked at him with her hand still firmly planted on her hip. 

"I just wanted to let you know that the scouting party has been confirmed." Graveheart stepped toward her as she turned her eyes back out onto the terrain of planet Rock. "They will be ready to leave as soon as the order is approved by all the planetary leaders."

"Good." Jade nodded slightly. Another episode of silence passed as they both looked at the stars as they flew by. "How long have we been on de move?"

"Only three days." The question, though unexpected from Jade, was not far from what Graveheart had been feeling. "It feels like we never stopped moving."

"Yes." Jade nodded again. "As if the pas' six years were…" Jade paused for a moment as she tried to find the right words.

"A break in reality. A pause." Graveheart finished for her.

"Yes." Jade sighed. It had been a break in the fighting, the movement, and in something else. She viewed Graveheart out of the corner of her eye as he stood quietly beside her, his large and solid chest rising and falling with his even breaths. After she had become Queen of Rock, they had both been unsure of how to pursue the feelings that they shared for one another. In some ways, it had been like a secret palace affair that the servants would talk about on their off hours. In other ways, it was as if they were nothing more than friends. It had been hard, confusing, and at times lonely. Jade looked back up to the stars again as the flashing rays of light made odd patterns in the night sky. With a soft movement of her granite hand, she found herself holding tightly onto the hand of her steadfast companion. He seemed to always be at her side, no matter the six long years of an uneasy stalemate. "Maybe dis time we do it right."

"Maybe, my Queen." Graveheart held onto that enjoyable moment along with her. Her words may have been referring to the battle with the Beast Planet, but he knew what her heart had meant. His was beating in the same rhythm.

******************

"So explain this to me one more time, kid." Femur sped up his swaggering hips to catch up with the long legged stride of the Lord of Fire.

"We believe we have come up with a way to defeat the Beast planet, once and for all." Pyrus looked down to the short stature of Ambassador Femur for a moment as he spoke. "But Tekla needs once last bit of data about the Beast in order to complete the device."

"And in order to get this information, someone has to actually go to the Beast planet?" Femur raised one of his brows.

"Precisely, brother." Sternum entered the conversation as he met up with the group on their way to the loading bay of planet Bone.

"Well look who finally decided to crawl off the throne." Femur smirked up at his much taller and larger brother. 

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Sternum ignored Femur's comment because he knew how much it would get on his nerves. 

"Emperor Sternum." Pyrus nodded a small greeting. 

"Greetings." Sternum said plainly as he surveyed the young king. 

"I just have one more question." Femur raised his hand in the air, unhappy at being ignored.

"And what would that be?" Sternum said in a slightly annoyed voice.

"Exactly what crazy canolie did you find to make this suicide run?" Femur smirked, wondering what poor shmuck they had talked into flying the scout run to get the data.

"Only the craziest damn pilot in the alliance." The sultry and strong female voice behind the words caused Femur to stop dead in his tracks.

"Not to mention the best pilot in the alliance." Sternum finished with a sly smile across his lips as he turned to the source of the voice.

"Flattery from the Emperor. Please excuse me if I don't swoon." The female of planet Bone laughed haughtily as Sternum laughed for a moment. She winked at him and continued down the loading ramp of her ship. She stood no taller than 5'4, but had the attitude of someone who was ten times that size. Her well figured frame glistened with the deep green of her skin and the light green of the fins that ran from head to tail. The red of her outfit only deepened the red of her lips and eyes. The large smirk played on her full ruby lips for a moment as she surveyed the territory of the boys in front of her. "Long time no see, hun." 

"Indeed." Sternum nodded in a small harrumphed laugh. He stepped aside to give her full view of Femur who had quietly made his way to a hidden spot.

"Well well well. He actually survived all those years on the throne." She bent down to Femur with one clawed finger pointed toward his fat stomach. "You got fatter."

"Heya toot…I mean Tibia." Femur turtled slightly. This was a less than welcome surprise that he was sure his wonderful brother had a hand in planning. "Your look'n good."

"Cant say the same for you." Tibia eyed Femur for a moment with an unreadable intent before turning back to Sternum. "Everything's ready to go."

"Good. Here is a list of the final data needed." Sternum began going over the manifest with Tibia. He had to keep himself from laughing at how wonderful this little meeting had gone.

"That's Tibia?" Pyrus had stood in silent disbelief for a moment. Femur had 'shared' several stories about the female of Bone. The Tibia he had pictured was something quite different, being that she had been romantically interested in Femur. "You broke up with that?"

"Well, actually kid….see I" Femur wished Pyrus had kept his voice down.

"Is that what the toad told you?" Tibia's sultry voice let out a boisterous laugh. "I left him." 

"Oh, I see." Pyrus blinked slightly. 

"Nice to know you haven't changed much." Tibia eyed Femur again for a moment before turning to go. "If you'll excuse me, I've got some packing to finish."

"Your not actually going to go on this cockamamie mission are ya, dollface?" Femur called after her. 

"Yep." She answered simply.

"But you could get yourself killed!" Femur questioned again.

"Yep." She answered as if it was the morning weather report.

"Well in that case, let me ask you one question before you go out there and become the Beast planet's appetizer." Femur twiddled his fingers for a moment. "Did ya miss me?"

"Yep." Tibia answered as she kept walking toward the hanger supply bay.

"I didn't think so, cuz…ya know…I" Femur sighed slightly.

"Femur…" Pyrus tapped Femur's shoulder slightly.

"Ya kid?" 

"She said yes." Pyrus rolled his eyes. 

"She did?" Femur blinked widely in disbelief. "Oh, ya. Of course she did. Who wouldn't miss this!" Femur laughed proudly.

"Dare I even comment?" Sternum looked up from a group of soldiers he was sending on the mission with Tibia.

"Brothers don't get a vote." Femur huffed out at Sternum, then cowered slightly at the smirking glare he got in return. He turned and ran his short legs to catch up with Tibia. "Heya, Dollface! Wait up, I'll help ya pack!"

***********

The soft sound of footsteps filled the chamber as she paced in silent thought. Having come here often to speak to him, she was surprised as a feeling of nervous anticipation filled her body. The thoughts of the past few days ran through her troubled mind, and the doubt at her ability was also present. With another long breath she drew her eyes up to the still and silent statue of her honored and long passed father, King Cryos. 

"What am I doing?" She questioned both the statue and herself. "I am not fit to lead these people into war again with the Beast. I know nothing of battle." She began to pace back and fourth in front of the statue again. "Some one else would be much better suited. I am not ready."

She stopped her footsteps in front of Cryos who kept his silent vigil with his eyes raised toward the sky as if looking for something. Zera looked up to where her father's eyes were set and sighed. The stars of the night sky flew by as the planet continued on its flight toward the Beast planet. Her eyes made there way back to the statue of her father, then closed as she knelt down in reverence. "Forgive me father, for I am not ready." The sound of approaching footsteps caused her to quickly stand and wipe away the tears that had already begun to freeze against her cheeks.

"Zera?" Lord Pyrus stepped slowly into the room, regretting at once that he had bothered her.

"I was not expecting you back so soon." Zera kept her back to him in order to hide the less than happy expression that consumed her face.

"I just arrived from Planet Bone. The scouting team is ready to go." He paused for a moment in the uneasy air of the chamber. "I just thought you would want to know. Sorry to have bothered you." He bowed slightly and began to make his way out of the door.

"Stay." The soft spoken word that came out of Zera's mouth surprised her as much as it did Pyrus.

"Pardon, Empress?" Pyrus wanted to make sure he had heard her right.

"Stay, please." She drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I thought that I wanted nothing more than to be alone with my thoughts. Now that I am, I find that I can not bare the silence." 

"As you wish." Pyrus nodded at Zera who still had her back to him. He walked into the room and shut the door softly behind him. Unsure of what to say or do at Zera's obviously upset mannerisms, he looked up to the statue of Cryos. After a deep sigh from Zera, Pyrus felt it was best to try and make some sort of conversation. "Its nice being back on Planet Ice. Kind of like old times, I guess."

"Really?" Zera raised an eyebrow, happy to have anything that could save her from her depressing thoughts. "I seem to remember you hating your visits to Ice."

"Not true." Pyrus shook his head in a small laugh. "Except for the freezing temperatures, this place isn't so bad." 

"Of course." Zera half smiled in a small nod. During another moment of silence that filled the chamber, she found herself looking at Pyrus from the corner of her eye. He had grown from a wise and hotheaded young prince to a wise and some what cooler headed King. The fact that he had also gained formidable height, muscle definition, and a handsome face had not passed Zera's notice either. Zera found herself smirking at that thought.

"What?" Pyrus turned to her as he heard a small snicker pass her lips.

"Just wondering how it is you put up with me all of those years." Zera avoided the question with something else she had been wondering.

"How so?" Pyrus raised an eyebrow.

"How did you ever manage to keep your cool when dealing with such an arrogant and foolish child such as I was?" Zera shook her head in a small sigh, turning her eyes away from his.

"There where times when I didn't." Pyrus laughed at first, thinking she must be joking. When no laugh was returned by Zera, he found himself in an odd line of conversation that he never would have expected from the 'old' Zera. He frowned slightly and took a few steps closer to her. "Zera, you weren't that bad."

"Wasn't I?" Zera shook her head. 

"No. At times, yes you could be a little…pushy and stubborn, but never horribly foolish or arrogant." Pyrus wasn't sure he liked where the conversation might end up.

"Oh?" Zera sighed. "I all can remember is a weak little girl who constantly complained and berated those around her." 

"It wasn't like that at all, and you know it." Pyrus placed his hand on her shoulder, turning her around to face him. The deep melancholic look in her eyes nearly took his breath away. He longed to see her smile again, but knew the conversation was taking a turn far away from levity. "Where you remember arrogance, I remember a strong princess with resolve for standing up for her people and the alliance. It was a strength I did, and still do, admire in you."

"Some strength." Zera shook her head and looked away from his burning eyes, unable to take the truth that tried to sere its way into the walls of doubt she had built up over the past six years. She looked down into her empty hands. "I wasn't strong enough when it counted." Her eyes rose up to the silent statue of king Cryos. "I wasn't strong enough to hold on to what really mattered." 

"You cant possibly blame yourself for that?" Pyrus glanced up at Cryos.

"Cant I?" Zera shook her head and turned her eyes back to his.

"Its in the past." Pyrus shook his head. "We should leave it there."

"How can I when it is my fault that he is dead." A sob heaved past her lips as she spoke with what seemed an unbreakable resolve.

"Zera, you cant truly believe that!" The voice of the young Lord of Fire rose with the passion in his heart. "It wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was!" Zera fought ferociously to keep the tears back as she raised her hands toward him. "I was too weak to hold on. I only needed a few more moments, but I wasn't strong enough! I let his hand slip, and he died!"

"Zera, no!" Pyrus grabbed onto her hands. "If you hand held on any longer, that ledge would have broken away sooner and you would have both been killed."

"You don't know that!" Zera fought hard against the strong grip that Pyrus had on her hands. 

"Yes I do!" Pyrus looked deep into her amber eyes as he fought to keep his own throat from filling with the small tears of emotion that began to arise. "It was bad enough to loose your father. The planet of Ice could not have dealt with both of your losses. I could not have dealt with your loss." His own words caused him to take pause for a moment.

"Pyrus, " Her eyes glimmered from both her tears and at the emotion his words sparked. Her resolve began to crumble as the six long years of her silence finally caused her to break into a fit of tears and anguish. "but I was not ready."

"No one ever is." His face saddened at the sight of the Ice Empress in tears. "It is never easy to take command."

"No," She looked up at him through her tear filled eyes, the sparkling shimmer of the frozen tears on her cheeks adding an eerie beauty to her sadness. "I was not ready to be alone." 

"Zera, I…" For a moment he felt himself more lost than ever as he held onto the hands of the weeping empress, her sobs growing into large heaves of tears and cries. He let go of her hands and she fell hard against him, burying her head into his warm chest. Her delicate icicle fingers clutched to his emblem incrested cloak, as if searching for something to keep her from falling into the depth of her sadness. Slowly and gently, as if in fear of breaking the delicate snow flake against his chest, he wrapped his arms around her. The six long years of silence had lead them to this point where emotions spoke louder than words. As she buried her cheek against his, seemingly searching for a way to warm herself from the cold reality of her sorrow, he knew of three words that should have been said a long time ago. "I'm so sorry." 

"What?" The soft whisper of her melancholic voice broke away from the sobs as she moved her cheek away from his so that she could look into his eyes. She was taken back by the sight of red embered tears filling the eyes of the strong Lord of Fire that held her so gently. "What ever for?"

"For not being there when you needed me." He softly touched one of the tears on her cheek, causing it to evaporate against her skin. "Like a true friend would have been."

"I pushed you away." Zera shook her head slightly. 

"But I should have…" Pyrus's words were cut off as she raised one of her long and delicate fingers to his fiery lips. There eyes locked and the room fell silent for a long moment.

"We both made mistakes, and you are right. There is no use in dwelling on them now." The tears had passed, and the small hint of a smile made its way to her lips. She leaned back against his chest, not out of sorrow but instead out of need to reiterate the feeling of no longer being alone.

"Agreed." He spoke in a hushed whisper, as if the delicate beauty of the strange moment passing between them could shatter with a single disturbance. It was a wondrous feeling to him to have this issue finally resolved after so long, and to finally have some one he cared for more than he had previously realized back into his life. With that small realization came other thoughts and inklings of new emotional ties to the delicate creature of ice in his arms. He searched for their meaning as he felt his arms tighten their hold on her. 

"Empress Zera?" Shard's voice called from down the corridor, breaking the momentary connection between them. Zera quickly lifted her head and stepped out of the arms of the Fire Lord. 

"One moment, Consul Shard." Zera called out to him, her eyes widening slightly at the strange fluttering nervousness in her voice. She glanced back into Pyrus's eyes, as if searching to see if he had found an answer to what they had both been searching for in that lost silence. After a silent pause that seemed to last years, she turned to go.

"Zera." The softness of his voice surprised her as much as feeling of his warm grip on her arm. His eyes searched hers again as he spoke. "I promise you that I will never leave you alone again." 

"I know." Zera nodded slightly as she brought up her hand to caress his cheek. Another smile passed between them before she turned and disappeared out the door, leaving the Lord of Fire alone in the chamber with the reality of what had just occurred. It was an odd, new, and indescribable feeling that filled his spirit as he lifted his eyes toward the statue of King Cryos. They had finally resolved six years of uncertainty between them. With the new feelings that welled in his chest arose a new question. He stared up at Cryos for a moment in silent thought.

"Where do we go from here?" His hushed whisper echoed off of the chamber walls before he knelt down in front of Cryos in an unspoken prayer.

*********

Days passed by in slow motion that seemed to take years to finish. The eternal darkness that the space travel of the planets cast over the inhabitants were lightened only by a passing sun ever so often. The scouting party had left in due speed and was now three sectors ahead. As the scouting party entered sector Theta-4, tensions among the people and leaders of the alliance rose to a height that had not been felt since the last Beast attack six years ago. Now came the turning point in which there was no going back. The scouting party would either be successful in the mission and gain the last data needed for the new weapon against the Beast, or it would parish like so many before it to the hungry jaws of the void energy planet. All of the alliance leaders patiently awaited news in the war room of Planet Ice as to which fate the scouting party would be given. 

"Any news yet kid?" Femur sighed with a heavy heart and none of his usual levity as he and Pelvus entered the room. 

"Not since the last transmission four hours ago." Pyrus watched as Femur sat down into one of the chairs with a sulking frown. The transmission boosters that were on the scouting party had allowed the speed of transmissions to be increased. There was, however, still a ten hour time delay between send and receive. 

"You worry to much, brother." Sternum too was worried despite his lack of show in the matter. "I would not have chosen Tibia if I did not think she was capable."

"Excuse me if I don't share in your optimism." Femur continued to frown heavily and stare at the blank transmission screen. 

"Oh she'll be fine." Pelvus quipped with a flick of his wrist. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to make his words sound like he really meant them. 

"Have we missed anything?" Graveheart and Jade entered the room and took a look at who was seated at the less than conversational table.

"No." Femur sighed and answered simply without any of his usual greetings to them.

"Well, no news is good news…I suppose." Jade moved past Graveheart and took a seat next to Sternum. 

"Looks like the set is almost complete." Sternum eyed Jade for a moment then turned to the rest of the room. "Where is everyone else?" 

"Tekla is preparing the device for the new data input." Graveheart took a seat in between Jade and Femur. 

"If we get new data." Femur mumbled. After noticing the looks he received from the rest of the group, he sighed and cleared his throat. "So kid, where's the Ice Queen?"

"Zera is talking to Zuma to see if her people had any luck reestablishing a location on the ship." Zuma's telepathic powers had allowed the alliance to keep a location and direct link to the scouting party until twelve hours ago. 

"And there has been no luck, I'm afraid." Zera stepped solemnly into the room and surveyed all those gathered. Her eyes paused when they met the eyes of Pyrus. They had been subconsciously avoiding each other for the past few days, taking time to sort through their own thoughts. She continued her gaze to the blank transmission screen and sighed. 

"Looks like we will just have to wait." Pyrus followed Zera's sigh with a sigh of his own. 

"Shard wont be interrupting us again, will he?" Graveheart didn't hide the inflection in his voice of his dislike for the man.

"No, Crystal is seeing to that." A small smile made its way across Zera's lips. If she could find someone to do Shards job as well as he did it, he would have been out of the palace years ago, despite her father's good intentions. The frost bite he gave all of the alliance members had only added to the tensions among the group. Being the only two seats left, she and Pyrus sat down next to each other in between Sternum and Pelvus. 

"Good evening, or morning when you actually get this thing I suppose." Tibia's voice filled the room as her face popped up on the transmission screen. Despite the weary look in her eyes, she flashed the group a large smile of her full ruby lips.

"Its about time, toots." Femur let out a small sigh of relief.

"Quiet, Toad." Jade hushed Femur, not wanting to miss any of Tibia's transmission.

"Well folks, looks like you better have one hell of a welcome home committee ready for me." Tibia winked and held up a small data card that flickered with a green luminescence. "You should be receiving the requested data along with this transmission right about…….now." Tibia laughed slightly and sure enough, the screen beside the transmission screen flickered to life as the data on the Beast Planet ran across it. 

"She did it!" Pyrus smiled wide with relief.

"Of course. I told you she was the best." Sternum said with a voice of pride in his own officer of Bone completing the important task.

"Well, if you don't mind, id like to high tail it out of this joint." Tibia continue. "Now about that welcoming committee." She smiled widely. "I'm thinking a banquette of some kind with maybe an honor guard or some snazzy type of…" Her voice cut off as a Bone soldier interrupted her.

"Sir! We have incoming!" The Bone soldier called out from his com position.

"What? How in the blazes of Fire did they find us?" Tibia called over her shoulder as she looked at the view screen. Her eyes went noticeably wider as she realized just how many Beast ships had found them. "Man those plasma cannons now! Get ready for evasive maneuvers, and get me those warp engines back online, now!" Tibia barked out orders as she moved away from the screen, leaving the transmission running. 

"Oh my goodness!" Pelvus nearly fainted at all the commotion coming from the other side of the screen. The transmission began to static in and out as Tibia's ship began taking fire from the Beast ships. Luckily, the new improved shields provided some protection against the void energy fire.

"C'mon you motherless pieces of void shit! Is that all you've got?" Tibia yelled at the Beast drones in defiance as the ship rattled and shook. "Clavis, put that fire out! Ulnae, where are those blasted engines? Fire!" Her angrily voiced commands flickered in and out as the transmission became even more interrupted. The fighting seemed to stop for a moment and the transmission came back strong. The bridge of the ship showed heavy damage and a small fire behind the com position. Tibia seemed to stand in wide eyed silence as she looked at the ship's view screen. She shook her head slightly. "Great strength of Bone protect us." Tibia's words rang through the war room of Ice as her face slowly turned toward the transmission screen. The transmission broke off into a chaos of static before falling silent. 

"C'mon Tibia, come back." Femur spoke in a small hope of the transmission returning. 

"We,…" Pyrus swallowed hard for a moment, then held up a black data pad. "We got the necessary data. "

"Then at least her death was not in vein." Jade shook her head.

"She sacrificed her life for the good of her people and the alliance. She shall be remembered with honor." Sternum stated unemotionally, as a true Emperor of Bone was expected to respond.

"You can take that honor crap and shove it up your tail-pipe." Femur growled out as he made his way out of the room.

"Femur, wait!" Pyrus called out to him as he stood from his seat.

"Let him go." Sternum showed now sign of anger from the words of his brother.

"What now?" Graveheart asked the remaining planetary leaders. 

"Now we make use of the information that that courageous woman gave her life for." Zera stood with solemn grace and took the data card from Pyrus and walked out of the door toward the electronics lab. Having resolved the issue with Pyrus, she felt it only right to do the same with Tekla. The room was left in silence for a moment as Pyrus watched her leave without another word.

"I think I will check on Femur." Pyrus said after a look between he and Sternum.

"And I must relay the news of our loss to my planet." Sternum stood with heavy shoulders and walked out, followed by Pelvus.

"So it begins again." Graveheart looked toward Jade as she remained silent. 

"She will not be the last to fall." Jade shook her head again, knowing fully well the high cost of war. She looked up at Graveheart as he placed his hand over hers.

"Her sacrifice could prove to be our only hope at finally ending the destruction caused by the Beast." He squeezed her hand slightly, knowing the heavy burden she now carried as the Queen of Rock.

"Let us hope so." Jade nodded slightly as her eyes left him and settled on the blank transmission screen. "For all our sakes."


	4. Last Best Hope

Heya all! Sorry it took a while for this update. Hope it was worth the wait for you guys! Enjoy!

Chapter 4: _Last Best Hope_

The cold environment of Planet Ice offered the perfect sterile and static free environment for the Alliance's technology lab. Once talks had been reopened with the Empress of Ice, the lab and all its equipment had been moved from planet Rock to its present location. Quietly, and with great concentration, the lone survivor of Planet Tekk worked diligently to refine the new weapon that could insure victory over the unstoppable Beast. So many lives had been sacrificed to get them this far, and she dreaded the news that more had been lost in order to receive the last information needed. Such sacrifices, however, were necessary. Or at least that is what she kept telling herself as she soldered a last wire in place. Tekla stood back from the device with a small sigh. Now all she could do was wait for someone to bring her the news she wasn't sure she wanted to hear.

*******

"Zera, wait up." Pyrus sped up his steps down the hallway after leaving the conference room where moments later they had received the last transmission from the brave crew of the Bone scout ship. He had full intention of completing his first objective to go check on Femur, but first he felt that someone else may require his attention. He slowed his steps as Zera stopped in the hall and turned to him. "You sure you don't want some company when you deliver the data to Tekla?"

"No, thank you." Zera shook her head slightly, still clutching the small data chip in her delicate grasp. "This is something I feel I must do, alone." 

"Zera, " Pyrus sighed slightly, but nodded. "Alright. I should go see how Femur is doing anyway." 

"Yes." Zera lowered her head solemnly. "I do not think he will be quite the same after today." 

"No, I don't think so either." Pyrus shook his head. "I never took his stories about her seriously, but I guess he really did care about her."

"Yes, I think he did. Well, I suppose we both had best be getting to those we need to speak to." Zera looked at him for a long moment before turning to go.

"Zera?" Pyrus watched her walk down the hall for a moment before calling out her name, causing her to turn back toward him.

"Yes, Pyrus?" Zera tilted her head slightly with a raised eyebrow. 

"Zera…" He paused for a moment, wanting to ask if she would like to talk about her conversation with Tekla latter, but then decided now was not the best time to ask her to dinner. "Good luck."

"You too." Zera nodded with a strange look in her eyes, as if she was reading through the false ending to his sentence. After another moment, she turned down a corridor and headed out of site. With a long sigh, Pyrus turned in the opposite direction in search of Femur.

********

"So, the Alliance knows ve have reached the outer most sector of their pathetic domain?" Lamprey watched as the Beast ships returned from their battle with the scouting ship. 

"Yes." Blokk nodded. "And they keep sending us appetizers." Blokk laughed as one of the drones walked into the control center of the Beast Planet. 

"Report." Lamprey turned to the drone, her tendril fingers reaching out to take the data recorder from it. She looked over the recorder for a moment. "So, the scouting ship was here to gather more data about us." 

"But why?" Blokk turned to her. 

"Vhy do you think, you imbecile" Lamprey tossed the data recorder into Blokk's lap. She rolled her eyes as he looked up at her and shrugged his shoulders. "And zey vonder vhy I am in command." 

"No body wonders because it isn't true." Blokk crossed his arms. "So…why collect the data?"

"To use it against us, you fool!" Lamprey raised her spiked tendrils toward him in frustration at his continued ignorance. She fumed in anger as Blokk shrugged at her again. "To make a veapon."

"A weapon against the Beast!" Blokk laughed loudly. "Impossible." 

"Ve shall see." Lamprey took the recorder from her less than genius partner and looked over it through a heavy set scowl.

*********

The room was silent and still as Zera entered it. Her graceful movements added no sound to the calmness as her eyes looked at the various objects of the lab room. A small sound of a wielding tool brought her attention to Tekla who sat hunched over several devices. As Zera intentionally made a footfall loud enough to hear, Tekla raised her head from what she was doing. Tekla was surprised to see the Empress of Ice standing behind her with a data disk in her hand. 

"Empress Zera." Tekla blinked a few times to make sure it was truly Zera standing there. 

"Since when are you required to extend formalities of title to me?" Zera gave a nervous smile. "I shall call you Queen Tekla if I must." 

"No, of course not Zera." Tekla offered Zera the same nervous smile. 

"You look busy, as usual. I will not take much of your time." Zera glanced over Tekla's shoulder to view what she was working on. 

"Is that the data?" Tekla pointed to the data disk in Zera's hand. Zera nodded and offered the disk to her. "Then mission was a complete success. Good." 

"Almost a complete success." Zera shook her head in a sullen sigh as she downcast her eyes. "The scouting party will not be able to join us for the celebration." 

"It is a great sacrifice they have made." Tekla nodded to Zera and set the disk into the computer consul beside her, allowing the computer to read and analyze the data. "Just one of the many sacrifices we have made in our battle with the Beast." 

"Yes.' Zera kept her eyes focused on the floor in a melancholic stoicism. "So many have lost so much. It is only my hope that we will finally be able to make a justification for all the sacrifices." 

"We will, Zera." Tekla gave the Ice Empress a small smile as she finally raised her eyes from the ground. Tekla marveled at how much Zera had grown both in presence and in maturity. 

"I will let you get back to your work." Zera bowed her head politely and turned to go.

"Zera, " Tekla's voice caused Zera to pause in her footsteps. "You were right, you know." Tekla waited for Zera to turn back around. "All those years ago, it seems but a bad distant nightmare, but you were right." 

"We were both right and wrong, Tekla, about a great deal of things." Zera gave Tekla a larger smile than before. "And you are right, it does seem like a distant nightmare, and perhaps we are best to forget it and look instead to the future."

"You are so much like your father, Zera." Tekla watched as her words brought a small tear to Zera's eyes. "He would be so proud of you, and I am honored to be your friend." 

"Then, my friend, we will beat the Beast, all of us, together." Zera and Tekla stood in silence for a moment, each smiling to the other. All that had needed to be said had been said, and this time they would depart friends instead of enemies. After another bow of the head, Zera turned and left Tekla to finish her work on the last best hope for the future they dreamed of. 

********

"Femur?" Pyrus called quietly into the dimly lit dinning hall of the Ice palace, hoping that he had finally succeeded in finding the disheartened ambassador.

"Hey, kid." Femur's greeting was soft and unenthusiastic from his seat alone at the dinning table. Before him lay a spread of ample food that he had left untouched. The hard knot in his stomach destroyed any appetite he would normally have.

"Don't mean to bother you." Pyrus stepped into the room and approached where Femur was seated. "Just came to see, well, if you were ok." 

"Hey, you know me kid." Femur forced a smile to his lips. "Nothing ever gets through my though skin."

"And you were never good at lying, either." Pyrus sighed and sat down in front of his deeply troubled friend.

"At least not to you." Femur let the false smile melt from his face and shook his head. "I just don't get it , kid. All the good ones die, while slime ball cowards like me survive to hide another day." 

"She was well aware of the risks, and you're not a coward, Femur." Pyrus frowned at Femur's words.

"So says you." Femur shook his head. "You just have no idea just how much of a coward I am, and have always been."

"You fought many times beside…" Pyrus's words were cut off as Femur waved his hand to the side to dismiss the sentence.

"I'm not talk'n battles this time, kid." Femur looked across at the one person in the universe that he was always able to be completely honest with. "I was a coward, and a fool." Femur shook his head again and looked away. "I let her go without a fight the first time, and now…this time there's no comin' back."

"We don't know anything for sure." Pyrus sighed deeply and tried to offer some sort of encouragement. After a few moments of silence, he knew that his words were not helping. 

"Promise me something, kid." Femur broke the silence and looked up at the young Lord of Fire that sat across from him.

"Anything." Pyrus raised an eyebrow.

"When that gal runs into your life that turns your world upside down, don't make the mistake I did." Femur stopped for a moment as a rare hint of tears made its way into his deep red eyes. "Don't hesitate, not even for a second, to tell her what it is she means to you." Femur sighed heavily and jumped off his seat, leaving Pyrus in stunned thought. The short statured ambassador of Bone paused before leaving to room and turned back to the silent young king. "cuz before you know it kid, its too late." Femur shook his head and continued out the door. 

*********

"Tekla?" Graveheart called softly into the lab room. 

"I am here." Tekla's voice answered him and summoned over to the far side of the lab where she stood next to flashing metallic device.

"Any luck?" Jade placed a hand on her hip as she surveyed the object.

"I believe so, but it still must be tested." Tekla nodded to Jade and Graveheart as they came into view. 

"I take it the only way to test this thing is on actual Beast Drones." Jade pointed at the object which resembled a gun energy cell. 

"Your assumptions are correct." Tekla nodded and turned her eyes to the device. "Now that the prototype has been completed, they can be easily mass produced and equipped to any weapon."

"How exactly does it work?" Graveheart wasn't happy about having to run into battle with a gin that may not fire.

"Through study, we have learned that the Beast Drones are made up of pure void matter. This void matter is the direct opposite to pure energy. We have Only been destroying their containment units with our current weapons, not the void matter itself."

"Which is why the Beast armada seems limitless." Jade nodded to this piece of old news. "Dey just get reformed with a new containment unit and shipped back out to battle."

"Correct." Tekla picked up the energy cell and eyed its blue liquid as she spoke. "This will cause all weapons to fire a pure energy pulse at a frequency that should destroy the void matter itself, leaving nothing for the Beast to give a new containment unit too. At least, that is how it is supposed to work."

"Alright." Graveheart nodded to Tekla and Jade. "Lets gather the rest of the Alliance leaders in the conference room. We have a test run to make."

*********

"I expected no less." Pyrus nodded to the holo image of his captain of the guard, Ash. Ash had been put in charge of preparing the Fire fleet for the inevitable battle. She, being the daughter of the retired captain Blaze, had no trouble carrying out the job. Her battle knowledge and fiery spirit was much like her fathers. What separated her from her father was that she had no lust to speed blindly into battle. She understood the necessity of preparation, as well as the political side of war. Pyrus's choice in making Ash captain of the guard had time and again been proven as a good decision. "If I thought you were incapable of the job I wouldn't have appointed you."

"You honor me and you honor my family with your words, my Lord." Ash bowed her head slightly before returning her eyes to her king. "The fleet stands ready and at your command."

"Good. I will inform you as soon as I have word myself on when we will engage the Beast." Pyrus gave Ash a small smile in her eagerness to prove herself in battle like her father. Her mix of strength, spirit of Fire, and beauty had earned her the respect of those she commanded, despite the fact that she was Fire's first female Captain of the Guard. In the beginning it had caused some tensions among men who thought they were better suited for the task. It had not taken long, however, for her to gain their following by both displays of strategic wisdom and combat ability.

"My Lord, was there something more?" Ash questioned Pyrus after a few moments of silence passed by with out his dismissal. 

"I'm not sure, Ash." Pyrus stroked his chin in thought for a moment.

"Something troubles you, my Lord." Ash had grown to know the look in Pyrus's eyes when something was on his mind. Ash loved looking into the inferno of her Lords eyes. She felt she could get lost in them were it not for her position and title. 

"Ash, " Pyrus paused momentarily to look at her. She had been a trusted friend during the silent six years, taking the place that had been left when Zera lost contact. He had sought her council often, but wasn't sure this was something the Lord of Fire should be discussing. After a shake of the head and a small laugh in thought, he decided he was sick of formalities and longed for the informal discussions he used to have before he was instated as king. "If you were to have feelings for someone, but was unsure of how to proceed due to…complications, how would you take on the task of letting that person know?"

"My Lord, " Ash had to stop for a moment as Pyrus asked her the unexpected question. How she desired his words were secretly about her. He was now talking to her in a manner he hadn't for a long time. It was as if their rank and crown had been set aside momentarily, and she welcomed every moment. She fought back a smile before continuing. "You have found such a person?"

"I…yes…I think…but things are complicated." Pyrus himself was a little uncomfortable in this line of conversation. 

"Complicated how, my Lord?" Ash pressed for more details, looking for any sign of to whom he was referring to. 

"Lets just say that several things, including title, could pose a problem." Pyrus did his best to remain elusive in Ash's obvious search for clues as to who it was he was talking about. It never crossed the Lord of Fire's mind that Ash may believe it was her. His heart simply did not think about her in those terms. It took a void in his life for six years for him to realize who it was that his heart belonged to.

"I see." Ash thought silently as she chose her words carefully. It was a strange dance that she and her Lord were embarking on. "Well, perhaps you should simply tell her, and then let the rest come as it comes."

"You mean deal with the possible consequences after the fact instead of dwelling on them before they happen?" Pyrus had to smile. It was just like Ash to make the head-on approach suggestion.

"Yes, my Lord." Ash gave a small nod and waited to see what the Lord of Fire would do. 

"Perhaps you are right. Why try and understand what will happen before it happens." Pyrus thought in silence for a moment. 

"Title and other complications should never come between you and who your heart desires." Ash had to swallow hard the lump that formed in her throat as she realized she was a hypocrite who could not follow her own advice. A figure appearing in the doorway caused Ash to nod to Pyrus, letting him know that someone had entered the dining hall.. Pyrus turned his eyes slowly away from Ash, hoping whomever it was hadn't been standing there long. 

"Pardon my intrusion." The Queen of Ice stepped slowly out of the shadowed doorway. "I passed by and heard your voice. I did not know you were in council with your captain of the guard." Zera paused a moment to look from Pyrus to Ash. "I will return later and let you return to your business." 

"Empress Zera." Ash bowed her head in greeting after Zera looked her way. As Ash watched the exchange in glances between Pyrus and Zera, she understood what troubles Pyrus was talking about. The way her Lord looked at the Ice Empress gave away his deep secret. If it is one weakness the people of Fire possess, it is that they have trouble hiding their passionate spirit. The bright fire in Pyrus's eyes that sparked to life when Zera walked into the room was all Ash needed to know that her Lord had not been talking about her. 

"Its alright Zera, Ash and I were just discussing the state of the Fire Fleet." Pyrus smiled when Zera smiled a nod, obviously happy at being able to stay. He reluctantly took his eyes off her and returned them to the holo image of Ash. "I will contact you as soon as I receive word."

"I await your call, My Lord." Ash bowed her head again, doing her best to hide the deep disappointment that welled up in her spirit. Her mind also raced with the implications of the possibility that her Fire Lord could possess such feelings for the Empress of Ice. It seemed a great impossibility, both politically and physically. She could never understand how one could be attracted to an insect. Since the alliance was made aware that the myth of fire killing ice was just that, myth, the relations between those of Fire and those of Ice had remained basically the same. Ash pondered over how a man of Fire's passion could feel an attraction for a frozen insect female. She came out of her thoughts even more troubled than before and gave a small bow of the head to the female of Ice that had managed what she thought impossible. After a look over her, trying to gain an understanding of how and why, she turned off the communicator to let the consequences take shape by themselves. Who was she to question her Lord.

"I did not mean to intrude." Zera remained a few feet from the table where Pyrus sat after the image of Ash disappeared.

"You didn't." Pyrus pointed to an empty seat across from him, asking her to sit down. "The discussion was over, and I believe I received all the information I needed." 

"Good." Zera nodded and smiled at him as she took the offered seat. "I just wanted to ask how things proceeded with Femur." 

"He needs some time to think." Pyrus paused for a moment to think himself. "He truly did care for Tibia." 

"As hard as it is to believe, " Zera shook her head sullenly. "I think you are right."

"I don't think he will ever be the 'old' Femur again." Pyrus sighed and looked over the plates of food for a moment before standing from the table. 

"It is sad, though, to think that it took loosing Tibia for him to change." Zera watched as Pyrus walked over to the dining hall bar and retrieved two glasses and a bottle of mineral wine.

"Yes, it is." Pyrus nodded to her as he retook his seat and set a glass down in front of her. He paused in conversation to fill their glasses, catching himself staring into her eyes for a moment as she seemed to look to someplace distant. The sound of the bottle being placed back on the table brought her attention back to the room around her. She took the glass in her delicate ice hand and looked at it as the light danced in its strange ice quartz liquid. Pyrus found himself looking at the colorful quartz reflection that shimmered across Zera's frosted skin. She seemed lost again in thought as he watched her amber eyes sparkle with the light in the room. He wanted to ask her how things went with Tekla, but he could not bring himself to break the pleasant nature of the silence in the room. He knew that the battles to come would leave little time for such silence. As a small smile followed by a muffled laugh came from Zera, Pyrus waved a hand in front of her eyes to gain her attention. His breath became lost for a second as she turned her eyes and smile to him. "What amuses you, Zera?" 

"Oh, I just remembered something." Zera shook her head in another small laugh.

"What?" Pyrus raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Just something about a rematch I owe a certain flame headed young

Prince. If he is still up to the challenge, that is." Zera smirked mischievously at Pyrus, causing him to laugh before returning the same mischievous glance to her.

"I cant beat you now, just like I would have then." Pyrus felt the fire of his eyes grow, loving the return to the old competitions they used to have between each other over just about everything. 

"Oh, is that a fact, lava breath?" Zera stood from her seat at the table after a sip of the wine. Her heart longed for a little child hood fun to relieve the tensions over the battles she knew to come. She had grown up so fast, and the spirit of her younger self jumped at the opportunity to be reborn. 

"Anytime, frosty butt." Pyrus laughed and stood up to the challenge, downing his entire glass of wine in competitive spirit. He had always relished any time he could cast the heavy crown of King aside and simply enjoy being his age. 

"Alright then." Not to be outdone by her opponent, Zera finished the last of the wine that was in the glass and stepped away from the table with a prideful smile. She unclasped a small tubular object from her belt and looked at the strong man of fire that stood before her. She too had grown in strength and skill, and would love the chance to beat him, again. Pushing a button on the side of the object, it lengthened to form a full staff, much like the one Pyrus used. She wondered if he sill carried the same one his father had given to him. A look of sudden surprise filled the Fire Lord's eyes as she brought the staff up in defensive posture. 

"You still have it?" Pyrus eyed the staff with a small prideful smile. It was the staff he himself had made and given to her after she had first beaten him in their little sparing matches. The small case on her belt told him that she carried it with her always. A bit thrown off by this, he barely noticed as she tapped his chest with the tip of the staff.

"Are you going to stand there all day, your highness?" Zera mocked him and smirked as his finally reached for his own staff. 

"And miss kicking your frosty butt all over this palace? Never." He brought his staff up defensively and winked at her. His smile widened as she spun her staff with grace and ease before returning the wink. She always had to outdo him in one way or another.

"Then come, my Lord." Zera beckoned him into battle with an unmistakable fire in her spirit. Raising her staff before him, she called out the finality he needed before the sparing could begin. "Come, if you dare." 

*******

Deep within the pure crystal walls of the Ice palace was born something so dark and sinister it threatened to swallow the hopeful future of the alliance whole. The caretaker of this deathly creature, this plan, stood and watched from the dark corners of the palace corridors, listening and waiting for just the right moment to set it free. A small part of the true nature of this plan set a small spark of regret within his soul, but it was quickly snuffed out by the frost bite that the reality around him filled his mind with. It was all changing too fast. The world needed to stop and take a break, to slow down before it sent itself wildly spinning into chaos. 

What was happening before his eyes troubled him greatly.

It was his duty to do what he felt was necessary for the good of the many, despite the sacrifices sure to come. Such sacrifices were part of war, and if these few were not made, then a great and unimaginable price would have to be paid. He would not stand idly by and watch this once proud place fall to dust around him. 

He would be the savior of them all. 

With the noise of footsteps echoing across the hall, a small smile slithered its way across his frozen lips, bringing a small bit of pleasure to the slow rhythm of his heart. So many things to accomplish in such a short matter of time. Brushing away the darkness of the plan that had been seeded earlier that day, he stepped into the light of the hallway and gave a small smile to the man who just might aid him in his greatest hour.

"Consul Shard, if I might have a word with you?" The soldier of Ice relaxed as Shard returned a smile to him.

"Of course, General Gala." Shard eyed the man for a moment and surmised something was on the man's mind. "What troubles you, General?"

"Consul, you asked me to report anything of possible consequence, correct?"

"Yes of course General." Shard nodded slightly as they kept walking down the corridor. "You know how I like to know what is going on in my palace."

"Well, consul, its about the Empress Zera and the King of Fire, Pyrus." Gala waited for Shard to think his words over for a moment, wondering when Shard had taken it upon himself to title the palace his. Then again, he did run many things of the palace, for now.

"Oh really?" Shard stroked his icy beard for a moment, a small smile of questionable meaning coming across his lips again. He raised his eyebrow and stopped in his tracks, turning to the General. "Do tell, General." 

**********

It looked as though a great storm had entered into the dining hall, leaving behind a scattered mess of chairs, goblets, and silverware strewn about the place. The great hearths of fire in the corners of the giant glacial walled hall reflected the two dancing shadows engaged in a heated match that had grown far beyond a simple spar. Much more was involved in this great movement of body and staff. Each thrust, attack, defense, and fall spoke silent meanings between the two young leaders. Their eyes remained locked on the others as their staffs chipped away at the barriers between them. In one final movement, the dance was over, and it seemed as though the great Lord of Fire had won. In this game, however, there really was no such thing as a winner or a loser. 

"Do you yield?" Pyrus looked down upon the misleading delicate figure beneath him, his staff pressing her wrists to the ground.

"Never. " Zera listened to her breaths as they quickened from the pace of the battle, and from the heat of Fire Lord who kept her pinned against the dinning hall floor. To show weakness in this moment might cause her to loose the grip she held tight on her emotions. The feeling of his warmth around her drove her senses to madness as she listened to the quivering rhythm of his breaths. "Never will I yield to you." 

"Zera," A small look of disappointment at her refusal to yield to him appeared on his face and reflected in the unwavering gaze of the Ice Empress. He let loose the staff that pinned her wrists, and it echoed a small sound as it rolled across the floor and hit Zera's staff. The sound reverberated off the walls of the dining hall, breaking the sudden silence of the place. Where moments before there had been the sounds of a heated battle across the floor and tables, there now only existed the crackling sounds of the fire hearths and the breathing of the two young royals. He looked down at her as her resolve remained strong even after he had released her from the pinning of his staff. Slowly, his hands slid into hers as he lowered his face to better see the world that existed in her amber eyes. His voice was sweet and warm to her ears as it whispered in the silence of the hall. "Will you yield nothing to me?" 

"My Lord," Zera paused to look into his eyes with an obvious longing as her fingers intertwined with his. Her heart pounded within her chest as she was drawn ever closer to the border of the place she thought she would never dare to venture. Perhaps it was the heat of the battle, the strange and intoxicating sensations from his touch, or the way he looked at her in this most fragile of moments, but her heart could no longer be silenced. With the shattering of her resolve, she crossed that line, never to look back. "That which I would yield to you, you already possess."

"And what is that?" He watched the shattering of her resolve as it appeared in her eyes. He knew of what she spoke, but his soul longed to hear it pass on her lips like the heart stopping call of a long caged rock sparrow who had just been set free. Her eyes softened, as if ready to break with tears, and one of her hands slid from his. She trailed its icy touch up his muscle throbbing arm and across his cheek as her eyes searched his for a reason to answer the question. The rhythm of his heart quickened until it felt like it might explode as she stopped her hand over it. 

"That which I have yielded to you and know one else." She took his other hand from the ground, causing him to shift his weight slightly, his body now closer to hers than it had ever been. With a graceful movement, she placed his hand on the center of her chest, where her heart beat strong and true. The small wisps of steam that originated from where their skin touched added a dreamlike eeriness to the moment that they had each longed for. Their lips were so close to each other that she could feel the steam as it began to form between them. Her lips brushed his as she began to speak in a hushed tone. "Pyrus, to you…"

"Would King Pyrus and the Empress Zera please report to the conference room." The intercom voice shattered the moment like a rock to glass. 

*********

"Thank you all for coming." Tekla stood before the gathered Alliance leaders in the conference room of Planet Ice. "The weapon I have been developing for some time now is ready to be tested against the Beast." 

"I suppose a test run is in order, then?" Sternum nodded to himself. "I will be more than glad to make that run personally."

"Not without me you don't." Femur pointed at his brother in firm tone. "I have a score to settle."

"We all have scores to settle, dear brother." Sternum eyed his brother for a long moment, understanding that Femur was less than the cowered that he let himself be known as. "And I would be honored to fight along side you again."

"We all would." Pyrus nodded to bother Sternum and Femur, committing his own forces to the upcoming battle.

"Nice to see we all still have the fighting spirit." Jade commented. "It just so happens that we have found a gathering force of Beast ships along the eastern edge of sector Theta 3."

"This growing force is very large." Graveheart added in. "Large enough that we will need parts of all the Alliance fleets to engage in battle if we want to insure victory, whether this new weapon works or not." 

"Very well. Then we will begin preparations immediately." Zera eyed the group for a moment.

"Will you be going with your forces, Empress?" Sternum raised an eyebrow at the Ice queen. He knew she was formidable, but never had he thought of her as a battle commander.

"No. The Ice fleet will be led by General Gala." Zera replied. "I will be staying here to insure the safety of the Alliance planets while their leaders are off destroying the daemons of the Beast." She took a moment to give them each a small smile, regretting having to miss the battle itself. Her eyes fell on those of Pyrus, knowing they still had some unfinished business. Her heart had nearly collapsed when that announcement had broken that moment between them. It had brought and unwelcome reality to their momentary fantasy world. War waits for no one. "Please, try not to have too much fun with out me." The group smiled and laughed lightly. "And be careful."

"As always." Pyrus winked at her from across the table before addressing Tekla. "Alright, Tekla, how exactly do we work this new device?"

************


	5. Against All Odds

**Chapter 5: Against All Odds **

Everyone in the room could feel the thickness of the anticipation as it floated in the air. The alliance leaders sat in the finally stages of the attack plan with a last meeting in the stone palace of Planet Rock. All of the fleet's ships had been equipped with the new energy pulse resonators, and all of the fleet's soldiers had begun to say their goodbyes to those they cared for. Going face to face with the Beast had always meant a possible last goodbye. With each passing day, the red blinking marks on the scanners grew in number as the Beast fleet seemed to multiply without pause. It was becoming more evident that they may need to use the battle moons after all, despite the protests of Pyrus. Those moons where the only home his people had known for the past six years. The Alliance fleet, however, was becoming quickly outnumbered. 

"My people are on those moons, and an evacuation could take weeks!" Pyrus felt as if he had had this conversation before with the last ruler of Rock. 

"I know, Pyrus." Jade sighed. "But if we need them, then we have no choice."

"Its only a last resort." Graveheart added, thoroughly hating the idea of dragging the people of Fire though another evacuation. They had built cities on those moons, and in all senses, they belonged to them. 

"Besides, we should refrain from moving the moons out of the planetary cluster at all costs." Zera spoke up. 

"The planets will be fine with out their services, if they still work." Shard cut in with a voice as frosted as the cold hue of his eyes. Despite Zera's best efforts, his attending the meeting was politically unavoidable. The Empress of Ice did not simply run off to other planets without a male escort. Zera would rather have General Gala and his battle knowledge present, but he was busy with preparations. Shard seemed very supportive of using the Battle Moons in the fight, almost too supportive. 

"Of course they still work." Jade said in an insulted tone. She despised that insect worse than the toad that sat beside her.

"I'll agree to their reinstatement into the fleet, toots, " Femur looked up at her without any of the normal come-ons. "but only if it is agreed that they will be used only if other means fail." 

"I agree." Sternum placed a hand on Femur's shoulder. They still had a great many differences, but the years had shown Sternum that his brother had finally begun to grow up. The rest of the table slowly nodded their agreement.

"Agreed." Pyrus said in tone filled with regret. 

"Well, I know we all have a lot of last minute preparations to make." Graveheart was glad to have that matter settled. "So we will meet back here tomorrow before the fleets depart."

"Very well." Sternum nodded as he rose from his seat. "Come, brother, we have much to accomplish."

"Alright." Femur jumped down from his seat and headed out of the door with a last look at Jade. "Catch ya later, toots." He snickered at the look that came over her face. 

"One of these days…" Jade mumbled. "Graveheart, I am in need of your…assistance." 

"Of course." Graveheart eyed Jade for a moment, seeing the small hint of another meaning behind her mono-toned words. With a small wave to the rest in the room, he followed Jade out. 

"Well, then." Shard raised an eyebrow and turned to Zera. "Shall we depart, Empress?" 

"You will depart for home immediately and then report to me on the status of the fleet." Zera added a commanding tone to her voice, not wanting to deal with any of his protests. 

"But, Empress, It.." Shard stuttered slightly at her tone. She had become more and more free-willed in the past few months. It was something he was not accustomed to dealing with from her. "It is improper…to…leave you alone...I…" 

"I have personal business on planet Sand." Zera narrowed her eyes as a protest continued to sputter from his lips. "It is not a suggestion, Shard. It is an order."

"Y…yes." Shard fought back an anger rising in his body at her newly found courage. He bowed deeply to hide the spite that had formed in his eyes. "As you wish, Empress." He departed without another look at her. 

"Well…" Pyrus leaned back to look at her with a smirk forming on his face. 

"What?" Zera turned to him and raised an eyebrow at the smirk.

"For a moment there, you sounded a lot like the little spitfire of a princess I used to know." Pyrus was glad to see her finally putting a leash on that Ice-flea Counsel of hers. After noting the doubtful look in her eyes, he sighed and walked toward her. "It's a good thing."

"If you say so." Zera shrugged slightly, her eyes locked in his. After a moment of the silence between them that she had become accustomed to, she turned her eyes toward the door. "Well, I had best be going." 

"Going to talk with Zuma?" Pyrus knew it wasn't any of his business, but lately he liked to know exactly where she was at all times. 

"Yes." Zera nodded and turned back to him. "I thought perhaps she and her people could give us insight into the battle ahead."

"That help would be welcome." Pyrus laughed. "We need all we can get!" 

"Very funny." Zera was not exactly amused at the joke, but she offered him a small smile. She turned to walk out the door again. 

"Would you mind and escort to your ship?" Pyrus spoke before he really thought about what it could imply.

"Not at all." Zera smiled to herself and kept walking. Her smiled widened as he stepped up behind her, having to draw close due to the narrow hallway. "This may be last I see of you before the battle. General Gala will be taking my place in the meeting tomorrow." 

"Oh." Pyrus tried his best not to sound overly disappointed. He ran a hand through his fiery hair as he looked at the Ice Empress. "I think I could manage a visit to your palace in my schedule, somewhere. Perhaps to talk over what Zuma had to say? That is, if you would like?" 

"Yes." Zera nodded and smiled at him over her shoulder. "I would like that." 

"Great!" Pyrus nearly kicked himself for his zealous response. He cleared his throat as they entered the hanger where their ships lay waiting. A small wave of disappointment washed over him as their walk together ended. "Well, then, here we are."

"Yes." Zera offered him another small smile as they began to walk in different directions. "Until tonight then."

"Tonight." Pyrus nodded as she gave him a look unlike any that had ever come across her face. There were so many meanings trapped with in that coy smile and sultry eyes that he figured it would take his mind until that night to decipher them all. He stood in a still silence, consumed by his own thoughts, as he watched her board the ship. It wasn't until the ship had left the hanger did he let his mind focus on the battle at hand.

******

"Yes, you had better load them up as well." Jade looked over the inventory list for a moment before handing them back to the soldier of Rock.

"As you wish, my Queen." The soldier took the list back and bowed.

"You are dismissed." Jade had learned that dismissing them was the only way to get her subjects out of her hair for a moments peace.

"Thank you, my Queen." The soldier bowed again before heading out the door, leaving Jade and Graveheart alone in the throne room. 

"I'm beginning to wonder if they can wipe their own asses without my approval." Jade sighed heavily. 

"You are their queen, Jade." Graveheart frowned at her weary and weather-beaten look. "They want the battle to go well, and they look to you for guidance."

"Bah." Jade waved her hand dismissively. She paused and looked at Graveheart for a moment before nodding in resolution. "I know they do. I'm just tired."

"Then you should get some rest before the final conference." Graveheart thought that some things were best left until after the battle. 

"I will." Jade nodded, then placed a hand on his shoulder as he turned to go. "Later." She paused again to look him over. Her granite complexion softened for a moment. "You will be on the command ship with me?"

"Of course, my Queen." Graveheart turned to her with a feeling of hesitation and uncertainty. "If it is your wish." 

"What I wish is for you to want to be their, by my side." Jade was slightly irritated by his continued 'royal' mannerisms with her. "And for you to stop treating my like the banner of rank I wear."

"I'm sorry, Jade." Graveheart sighed and lowered his eyes. "Its just hard to know where I stand with you as my Queen and with you as Jade." 

"Treat me as if I didn't wear this thing." Jade pointed to the symbol of rank on her belt with a slight disdain. "I wish you would treat me as if I had never worn it."

"Are you sure?" Graveheart looked at her longingly. The thin wall that had been built between them on the foundation of that royal symbol had become the hated barrier that separated how they were and how they could have been. 

"Of course I'm sure!" Jade's old haughty fire returned to her voice. That vocal quality had been to few and far between in the last years. "A girl knows what she wants." 

"Does she?" Graveheart smirked, happy to have the old Jade back, no matter how short it may last. "And what is it you want right now this very second, oh wise on?"

"For you to shut up," Jade spoke with a strait face before grabbing him by his chest armor and pulling him to her. "and kiss me." 

"Oh." Graveheart's eyes widened. It had been sometime since they were in this situation. The renewed spirit of battle in her had seemingly brought the old Jade back from the dead. He found himself staring into her dark green eyes, and his heart beat with its own reborn passion. He leaned in to kiss her with a smirk. "Is that all?" 

*******

The small drops of humidity clung to the cave walls as if afraid the dry heat of the desert world above would creep into their safe haven and devour them. Outside, the gusty winds blew cyclones of sand across the open desert toward the grand city of the Sun people. Though no sun drifted overhead as the planet continued on its journey, the dry heat found a way to survive and permeate all it could. The cool humidity of the caves beneath the sand were a welcome relief to those who found their way into them. The delicate hand of the Ice Empress drifted along the sandstone's rumpled surface as her eyes trailed along the path in front of her. It had been so long and she feared that she may loose her way in the darkened world of the Sand caves. Her fears soon dissipated as she found herself in a large open cavern. 

Her large golden eyes wandered along the simple, yet beautiful, designs carved into the sandstone columns and floor. The small streams of light that managed to find their way into the cavern from the surface danced in the air, illuminating certain symbols and spots in the room. Zera stepped into the center of the floor and kneeled down at one end of the illuminated star-like symbol carved into the ground. Tracing her fingers along part of the design, she remembered one of the lessons Zuma had taught her about the true connecting meaning behind the symbols. They were carved in sandstone, which meant that they would not last long against the blowing winds and eroding sand. Each of the symbols would change over time, and eventually disappear, only to be carved again someplace else. Everything changes with time.

"Welcome, Zera, daughter of Ice." Zuma's voice sifted into Zera's mind as she felt herself connect to the intertwined minds of the community. "Though we have spoken on many occasions, it brings us great joy to see your presence among us again." 

"Please accept my sincere apologies for my long absence." Zera closed her eyes and spoke, not with her voice, but with her mind. 

"No apology do we require." Zuma continued to speak as the voice for the community. "We understand the reasons behind your absence."

"Thank you all." Zera nodded in a smile. "I too am glad to be back with you all."

"We know why you have come, young Empress." Zuma kneeled down in front of Zera on the stone floor of the cave. "But you seek answers that we can not provide. Only you can find what it is you seek. We will aide you in your search."

"I understand." Zera nodded again, knowing what Zuma meant. She drew in a silent breath to calm her anxious spirit. Within the calm silence of a few deep breaths, she felt the cavern around her disappear in a black void. Despite the presence of the other minds, she felt alone and a bone chilling cold filled her body. With the pause of another breath, her mind shifted into the starred cosmos, taking her on a journey in which she did not know the way. A great arch of light filled her eyes before she found herself drifting high above the planetary cluster. The Alliance cluster shown with such beauty that it threatened to blind her. Her mind flooded with questions as to why she was here, what she was supposed to be seeing, how was she to understand. A deathly howl filled her spirit, as if her questions had angered and awakened a horrific beast. 

The Beast.

A great explosion erupted from the surface of planet Ice, and one by one the Alliance planets crumbled and fell to dust. She felt herself sob with the destruction of it all, her hands reaching out to try and capture the fallen pieces. The pieces turned to fire in her hands. She closed her hands together to put out the flames, tears running from her confused eyes. When she reopened her hands, Pyrus lay in them, his eyes dark and sullen. It was as if death had begun to eat away at his fiery soul, and all the remained was this melancholic shell. His ghostly figure looked up at her with tears in his eyes, his voice so distant and heart wrenching. 

"I am lost." He spoke in barely a whisper before falling to his knees in mournful sorrow. His figure crumbled to dust and floated away into the dark void.

"Pyrus!" Zera screamed into the cavern as her eyes shot open. Her breaths vibrated with a mixed of fear and confusion.

"What did you see?" Zuma's voice in Zera's mind was slightly shaken with fear at Zera's state. 

"I…" Zera looked down at her empty hands and slowly shook her head. "I am not sure."

********

"No, not that one. The big one." Femur eyed over Pelvus's weapons stock. 

"Yes, of course, ambassador." Pelvus rolled his eyes and put back the smaller gun. He took the larger one and attached the modified energy cell to it. 

"That's more like it." Femur held up the gun that almost beat him in height.

"That one may have too much kickback for you, brother." Sternum bent down slightly to make it through the low doorway. 

"As if." Femur rolled his eyes, then looked at the enormous weapon. "Ya think?"

"Yes, I do." Sternum approached the wall and took down a midranged gun, attached a modified energy cell to it and exchanged it with Femur for the larger one. "This one has the same fire power, but less kickback."

"Thanks." Femur said with a slight hesitation. 

"If you will excuse me, I simply have too much to get done!" Pelvus flicked his hand in the air in an over exaggeration of the drama of getting everything ready. He sighed heavily and walked out of the room, leaving the two brothers in an uneasy silence. 

"Femur, I want you to promise me that you will not do anything foolish." Sternum looked sternly at his brother.

"Hey! You know me!" Femur put on a false smile. 

"Please." Sternum sighed. "I know you have a vendetta, but I must ask that you don't do anything that could put the rest of the fleet at risk."

"Fine." Femur sighed and set the gun down beside him. "I promise. If you must know, I'm more worried about you doing something to endanger the fleet."

"What?" Sternum glared at him. 

"Oh, c'mon brother!" Femur shook his head. "I remember all to well the way you used to be in a fight. You'd sacrifice anything if it meant winning. "

"I did what I had to do." Sternum crossed his arms and turned his back to Femur.

"No, you were just extra mean and unforgiving in order to stop any doubts about who you really were." Femur drove the nail into the sore spot of his brother. "The people of Bone didn't respect you, they feared you! A group was already planning to oust you. You were ruthless. Which is why I…I did what I did."

"Oh? For the greatness of Bone?" Sternum laughed darkly at the thought that his brother had a real reason behind banishing him to the prison planet. "No, dear brother, you did what you did for the greatness of one thing. Yourself." 

"Wrong." Femur scowled. "If I had really wanted to make it easy on myself and not give you the honor of leaving the throne as a true leader of Bone, I would have simply told everyone, wouldn't I? Despite the fact that ma made me promise, Great Strength rest her soul, I could have let your little secret out and saved all my problems. But I didn't, did I?" 

"Why didn't you?" Sternum turned to his brother, wanting an answer to that question for a long time. 

"Cuz, well…" Femur sighed and shuffled his feet. "Even though you're only my half brother, you're still my brother…and I could never break a promise to ma." 

"I have greatly misjudged you, brother." Sternum sighed heavily. 

"Hey, no problem. I'm used to it." Femur chuckled slightly. "Looks like we've both changed and grown up a bit. Don't ever worry about it, hu? You're secret is always gonna be safe with me."

"Thank you, brother." Sternum smiled slightly. "Perhaps one day things will have changed enough with this alliance that the secret will no longer matter if it is found out." 

"The people respect you now, instead of fearing you like before." Femur nodded. "One day, who knows? It could do wonders for upping the trading relations between Bone and Rock." Femur chuckled. 

"Amusing." Sternum chuckled slightly himself as he rolled his eyes.

"I try." Femur shrugged. 

"Come, my brother." Sternum started toward the door and turned to Femur. "We have a score to settle."

*********

"Everything is ready to go." Pyrus stood beside the Empress of Ice on the balcony that overlooked the Mountains of Freezenor of her planet. They stood solemn and frozen in a massive beauty of ice and snow that sparkled in the moonlight created by one of the hovering battle-moons. The low level sun they had found in this system caused the moonlight to glow with a strange purple luminescence that cast its eerie shadowed presence on all the planets of the alliance. The glistening white of planet Ice caused its purple glow to shimmer and sparkle with the coming of night. Pyrus took his eyes off of the landscape and turned them to the silent Ice queen that stood beside him on the ivory white balcony of her palace room. 

"All that remains is the meeting tomorrow morning" Zera nodded slightly as she broke the silence of the evening. 

"Yes." Pyrus nodded solemnly. The time had come to fully test the power of their new weapon against the Beast. "I'm actually on my way to the command ship now." He paused momentarily as her face took on a small frown. "What is it, Zera?" 

"Pyrus, I…" She looked up at him for a moment, then turned her eyes back to the vast expanse of the view of her planet. "I do not want you to go on this mission." 

"What?" Her words surprised him, and the strange inflection of her tone of voice slightly frightened him. "Why?" 

"Because, I have this strange feeling about it." Zera shook her head, as if searching for the right words to say. 

"What kind of feeling? You act like your never going to see me again." Pyrus raised eyebrow as she looked up at him with an odd longing and a startling sadness. 

"I do not think that I will see you again." Zera said in a hushed whisper after a long moment of thought. 

"What?" Pyrus shook his head and placed a hand on her shoulder, her line of conversation and the way her voice seemed to hold truth causing a shiver to crawl up his spine. "What are you talking about, Zera? Did Zuma say something to you?" 

"No…I mean…I don't know." Zera turned her eyes away from him in frustration. She found herself unable to put the visions from earlier to words. "I've just had this feeling." 

"Its probably just nerves about the upcoming battle." He smiled at her in the hopes at lightening her mood. "Nothing we haven't done before." 

"Perhaps you are right." She nodded and returned her eyes back to his. "Just me being silly over my apprehension about the fight ahead." 

"Its not silly, Zera." Pyrus placed both of his warm hands on her cold and smooth shoulders and gave them a small squeeze. "Its normal to be nervous. I'm nervous too." 

"Honestly?" Zera looked at him with a tilt of the head, the features of her face shimmering with the pale purple moonlight. 

"Of course. We all are." He flashed her a smile of his hot embered teeth to offer her a bit more reassurance. 

"Just promise me you will be careful." The honesty of her belief that they would never see each other again was still present in the inflection of her voice and in the odd way she looked up at him. 

"Always." He gave her a wink, trying to push out the growing feeling in his mind that perhaps her fears held some reality. They paused in their thoughts for a moment as they found themselves locked into each other's gaze. Pyrus could feel the rhythm of his heart pick up within that moment, having so much that it wanted to make known. He fought to control its emotional impulses, his own fear and uncertainty keeping the words he longed to say quiet underneath a false smile. Even after what had happened in the dining hall, he still found himself questioning the consequences that could follow. "Besides, I have a promise to keep, remember?" 

"Yes." Zera finally let a small smile form on her lips as her thoughts trailed back to the night he promised he would never leave her alone again. 

"Everything will be fine." He gave her shoulders another gentle squeeze. After another jump of his heart, he let his hands fall from her bare shoulders. "I should be going. We still have a few things to prepare." 

"Of course." The sadness and fear returned to her eyes for a flickering second before she returned them to the mountains. No matter how hard she tried, she could not rid herself of the strong feeling about the mission. She could tell that her words had caused a small inkling of doubt about the mission in Pyrus's eyes, something that the leader of a fighting fleet of ships was better off without. 

"See you when I get back then?" He reached out towards her shoulder again, but stopped himself. If he touched her again, he feared he would be unable to stop himself from letting go of all things that his spirit longed to call out to her. Things that he felt would be to close to breaking the thin ice that lay between them and their friendship. One wrong misplaced word, and everything they had built up over so long could be torn down in an instant. How he longed to continue from where they had left off the other night, when all defenses where down. He feared that if they did, he would stay with her in that place forever, forsaking the battle that lay ahead. 

Now was not the time to test that path of fate. 

"Yes. " She nodded and gave him a small smile, but said nothing more. No more words could make it past her lips with out revealing the choking knot that had formed in her throat. Her eyes closed as she heard the rustling of his cloak that moved when he turned to depart down the long empty hallway. With a clinched fist, she bit at her bottom lip, fighting herself with every footstep she heard his boots make on their path away from her. A pause in his footsteps caused her heart to stop, her ears awaiting his voice to call out to her and tell her that he had changed his mind and wouldn't be going on the mission. She longed to hear him say that he was going to stay with her and never leave her side. 

Those words never came, and his footsteps returned to their steady pace, his last look back at her at an end. She so desperately wanted to know if he too had longed to say those words to her. Thoughts of her past weaknesses and short falls filled her mind as his footsteps drew ever more distant across the balcony floor. She unclenched her fists and raised her eyes toward the proud and strong mountains that filled her viewpoint. The large hill of crumbled ice that lay at the foot of the mountains caused her heart to take pause again. The once gigantic mountain now lay in a pile of dust, caused by its own pride and unwillingness to move for a flowing glacial river. Her eyes widened as she remembered the lesson her father taught her about those mountains so long ago. 

Pride, stubbornness, and silence would be the ruin of them all. 

"Pyrus!" Her heart called out to him, and for the first time her voice followed. She turned sharply with her hand outstretched toward him. The look in his eyes as he turned to the heart wrenching sound of her voice sent her feet in a run toward his arms as they opened for her. As she reached their awaiting strength, she buried her head deep into his shoulder and clung to his armor and cloak. Despite the soft sobs that came from her throat, she could hear the beating rhythm of his heart. He tightened his arms around her, caressing her face with a warm and gentle hand. With a soft spoken sniffle of words, she tightened her grip on him. "Please do not go. Do not leave me." 

"I have no choice, Zera." The coolness of her skin against his caused his breaths to vibrate with the quickening of his pulse. He stroked her cheek with one of his fingers as the other arm pulled her even closer to him, showing her just how desperately he didn't want to leave her. He wanted nothing more than to hold onto her for that moment and every moment that followed. But the alliance and the battle ahead would not wait, and his people needed their king to lead them. He felt himself break in his resolve to go as she raised her large amber eyes to him. Then he remembered that they would never have moments like these if the Beast was not defeated. The subtle sadness of his voice made its way through the strong presence telling him not to go. "I must go." 

"I fear you will be lost to me." A tear slid its way down her cheek and froze against her skin. She closed her eyes with the sensation his heated finger brought to her skin as he touched the frozen tear and made it disappear with a small wisp of steam. 

"I will never be lost to you, I swear upon it." He caressed her cheek again, causing her to open her eyes. 

"And I never to you." The cool gentleness of her touch filled him as she reached up and placed her hand over his. He took her hand into his and raised it to his lips, offering a small kiss of promise. Silence echoed between them in what seemed an eternity of uncertainty, sadness, and unquestionable desire. 

With all that they held in their hearts, they each found themselves unable to move or speak a single word. Lost in the universe that lie in the eyes of the other, the world around them fell into a peaceful stillness. In that place, the only sounds came from their quickened breaths and the increasing beats of their hearts. The paths they had walked had been parallel up until this point. It was in this moment that those paths would finally collide and become one in the same. With the unification of their heartbeats, their spirits moved their bodies closer toward each other, their eyes closing in the emotion filled air. As their lips met, a shimmering light filled the void and the room around them returned. All that they had wanted to say for so long found its way to the other through the truth and love that lie in the unifying force behind that single kiss. 

The paths of fate yield to no one. 

They became lost in one another's arms, searching and feeling their way along a body that their hands had longed to hold. The kiss deepened as each took in the others element. The warmth of Pyrus's breath filled her cold spirit. The coolness of her filled every ounce of his fiery soul and consumed him. With their hearts finally free of the chains that had tied them down, they gave into the passion that had grown into a great force that could now destroy anything that threatened to tare them apart. 

The visions of the future were lost to Zera's mind as it held only the thoughts of the present. She clung to him and lost herself in the steaming air of emotional freedom that filled the night air. The small fiery spark with in her spirit ignited to life within his warm caress. Her soul craved more of it and her heart took in all it could bare. Seconds passed by in a slowed haze of deep glances into the eyes of her Fire Lord and the sweet sensations of his kisses upon her lips. 

In that single instant that seemed to last for a thousand eons, Pyrus lost himself and found himself all over again. The ember flames of his eyes grew and faded with each breath of her kisses on his lips. The impassioned blue hue that found its way into the flame of his hair darkened as her hands traveled along his skin. As their lips parted again, the blue tint of his flames reflected in Zera's large amber eyes. All fears of the possible consequences of their actions melted into meaningless trivialities as he smiled at the way she looked at him. Delicate and strong in the same instance, it was the unmistakable look of love. 

"Stay with me." Zera begged with a look of deep want. 

"I cant." Pyrus hated to say those words. 

"Stay with me. Just tonight." Zera pleaded. "It can all wait until the morning, cant it? Stay and have dinner with me…talk with me…let me have this before you go from me." 

"Alright, Zera." He smiled fondly at her and caressed her cheek with his hand. With these feelings finally surfaced and let free after all the years of discovering them and hiding them, one night away from the wars, the Beast, and everyone else, he believed, was owed to them. "I will stay." 

******* 

"Am I interrupting?" Crystal walked slowly into the dimly lit room where General Gala sat hunched over several star charts.

"No, of course not." Gala raised his eyes from the charts and shoved them aside. He sighed softly and folded his hands in front of him. "What can I do for you, my daughter?"

"Nothing." She paused slightly too try and discern what mood he was in. "I just thought that we might talk and share dinner for a change."

"Oh?" Gala raised an eyebrow. "I thought you would be in council with the Empress on this eve of the forth coming battle."

"Not this night. She seeks council and dinner with the Lord Pyrus." Crystal continued as she took a seat in front of her father. "Besides, my true concerns lay with you in this upcoming mission."

"Oh is she?" Gala thought over the first bit of information for a minute, but dismissed it for another night. "And what, pray tell, are you concerned with, my daughter?"

"You go to battle on the morrow." Crystal let her smile fade from her face. "So, of course, I am concerned with your safe return."

"I know you are." Gala sighed sadly at his daughter's frown. "So much more like your mother everyday. She hated it more than you. For a time, I thought that your skills would cause you to have a different opinion, perhaps even follow in my footsteps. More and more everyday, however, like her you hate it." 

"Its not that I hate it father…" She smiled softly as Gala held up his hand to her comment. "Alright, so I do hate it. Still, I mean no disrespect to you."

"Neither did your mother." Gala nodded with a found smile at the memory. "I still hate to see all of your talent go to waste. If half of those I commanded had your skill, when may have beaten the Beast the first time around."

"You only say that because I am your daughter." Crystal laughed.

"Perhaps, but it is still true." Gala joined her in the sweet laughter of the moment. 

"Just be careful, my father." Crystal looked seriously at her father. 

"As always, my daughter, I will." Gala nodded and squeezed his daughter's hand gently. "Watch over the Empress and protect her while I am away." 

"As always, father, I will." Crystal let the smile return to her face. "Enough talk of battles for one night." 

"Indeed." Gala nodded and looked unhappily at the star charts. He looked back up at his daughter with a small chuckle. "So, what are you making your father for dinner?" 

*******

And so, in the short passage of the night, thoughts of the battle ahead where pushed aside as those involved did their best to spend it as if it where any other night. In the houses of the Alliance planets, the soldiers spent time with those they held dear, kissing their children goodnight, and getting in one last look at what it was they were fighting for. The hangers of the fleet were filled with jubilant laughter as those from all the worlds sat together and told old stories, shared in each other's customs, and enjoyed the peace they now held between them. The bond of brotherhood bandaged and made stronger, the precious and fleeting time between father and daughter, and the great and unstoppable force of love, no matter the circumstances, filling the night with its light ; all these things clung to the night for it's every last breath. For when morning came, life itself would be placed on hold until the night when those leaving would, with hope, return. 

And morning came all too fast.

There was, however, one planet that knew neither night nor morning. It new only one thing and that was the void. It loomed in the shadowed vast frontier of space, searching for its next victim. It lay patiently in wait for its prey to come to its open and deathly grasp. 

"Soon." Blokk watched the view screen with unwavering vigilance. "Soon they will come. Soon they will fall. Soon I will have my victorious revenge. Soon." 


	6. Ghosts in the Shadows

**Chapter 6: Ghosts in the Shadows**

With the coming of the morning hours, the planetary cluster came to an abrupt halt as it reached its final venturing point just beyond the reaches of sector Theta 3. Within the sector, the great gathering of Beast ships lie in an odd stillness between the twin moons of Osira, a small uninhabited planet far from the sector's sun. From their position outside the sector, the planetary cluster watched the activities of the Beast ships with growing interest. Their own ships would soon come face to face with the threat. The Beast Planet itself continued on its slow and steady pace from sector Theta 7 to Beta 7, stopping only to claim its next victim. Though the warning was sent out with information on World Engines, many planets remained where they had been for as long as the memory of men could tell. Perhaps they did not receive the message, perhaps they did not understand it, or perhaps they chose not to heed it. Whatever the reasons, they now lay as waiting meals for the planet who's hunger never ceased. Now matter how hard they tried, the Alliance could not save them all, and if this new weapon did not work, saving themselves could even be impossible. 

The Alliance fleet hovered above the planetary cluster as it prepared to embark on the one mission that could turn the tide of the seemingly endless war.

******

"What's our e.t.a. ?" Pyrus stood on the command deck of his lead Fire ship, the Ithri. 

"We should arrive within eight hours, my Lord." Ash replied from her position at the command station. "All fleets have reported in as well. Despite a slight engine malfunction on the Bone command ship Tul, everything seems to be well in order."

"Have they made the necessary repairs?" Pyrus was not surprised that Tul would be the ship with the first problem. It hadn't been used in quite some time.

"Their crews report that they will have it repaired with in the hour, My Lord." Ash double checked the report before responding.

"Very well." Pyrus nodded and looked over the crew on the command deck. Many were young and inexperienced, and many had the noticeable look of both anticipation and fear in their eyes. He did his best to swallow a yawn that entered his throat. The past few days had been overwhelming in many aspects of his life, and the exhaustion chose now as the time to catch up with him. "I will be in my quarters if I am needed."

"Rest well my Lord." Ash noted the weary look in Pyrus's eyes before bowing to him. As he left the command deck, she wondered what had caused the small new spark of life in his eyes that had been mixed with the tired gaze. 

********

"The fleet should make contact with the Beast armada in eight hours, Empress." General Gala reported through the com line.

"Very good, General." Zera responded with slight a unsteadiness. "Retain radio silence for the remainder of the journey."

"As you wish, Empress." Gala bowed and the com line was closed. 

"Eight hours." Zera repeated as she fidgeted with her hands. Her mind kept reminding her that she still had enough time to call it all off. However great the visions and feelings were with in her, however, she found herself unable to do so. She didn't feel right destroying all their planning and hard work for one strange vision. 

"Empress? Something bothers you?" Crystal studied the face of Zera for a long moment.

"It is nothing, Crystal." Zera shook the feelings from her mind as she offered her loyal attendant a smile. "Really, I am fine."

"Of course, Empress." Crystal resigned, knowing that Zera wasn't being honest. 

"Where is Shard?" Zera raised an eyebrow, surprised to have him absent. When things of this nature where going on, he was usually impossible to get rid of.

"Counsel Shard told me that he had some matters to attend to, Empress." Crystal replied, not sad to have him absent.

"Oh?" Zera thought on this for a moment, wondering exactly what matters he was attending to. With a long sigh, she decided her mind needed a break. "Then let us go have lunch and try to relax for a moment."

"The dining hall is prepared and waiting, Empress." Crystal replied with a small smile.

******

"Everything is going as we agreed." Shard peered darkly at the figure on the view screen in front of him. "The fleet has left the planetary cluster."

"And the battle moons?" The voice behind the shadowed image questioned with a small sinister laugh. 

"They are being taken care of as we speak." Shard replied, his antennae twisting into tight circles at the truly ingenious plan he had arranged. It was all so masterful, so perfect, and it was all his doing. He would be a hero to them all, or he would destroy them.

*******

On planet Rock, the attention of those who had stayed behind was focused on the battle at hand. Led by their new Queen, the fleet carried with it their hopes and dreams of the future. With all eyes on the fleet reports, the failure of one guard to report back to duty seemed trivial. No one bothered to realize that it was the guard stationed at the holding cell of one of the most influential and dangerous inmates in the small prison colony. With a large smirk playing on her shrouded, but prideful, face, Jewlia slipped unnoticed amongst a transport ship crowd headed for planet Ice. 

*******

"Shouldn't you be getting some rest, you highness?" Graveheart peered into the mess hall of the Rock flag ship, the Ca`rn. Jade looked up from her place at the end of the table, her fork idly poking at the food on her plate.

"I tried, Ambassador." Jade shot back with a small smirk. 

"To much on your mind?" Graveheart ventured further into the dimly lit room, clutching a few star charts in his hand.

"Indeed." Jade nodded and set down her fork. "What about you? Shouldn't you be take'n your own advice?"

"I doubt I'll have any better luck at it." Graveheart sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "I spoke with Tekla."

"Oh?" Jade raised an eyebrow.

"Ya." Graveheart gruffed out a small laugh. "She still regrets staying behind."

"Bah." Jade pushed the plate of cold food away from her. "She's needed where she is." 

"Why did you suggest to her to stay behind?" Graveheart pulled out a chair at the table and took a seat, eyeing Jade's plate of uneaten food. 

"Truthfully?" Jade almost smiled. "I didn't want her peering over my shoulder every time I go to push a button."

"She does do that, doesn't she." Graveheart joined Jade in a small laugh.

"I also wanted her to keep an eye on things back at the alliance." Jade brought an air of serious intent back to her voice.

"You do not trust Zera?" Graveheart questioned with a quizzical look coming to his face.

"Zera I trust, Shard I do not." Jade put simply. 

"I share your feelings there." Graveheart nodded. "Every time I'm around him, I feel like he is up to something."

"Like keeping the Empress on tight leash." Jade frowned at that thought. The Zera she remembered would never have let some one put a leash on her like that. 

"Lately, before we left, Zera seemed to be putting a leash of her own around him." Graveheart noted as he shifted in the chair to rest his elbows on the table.

"I noticed that." Jade said with a smile coming to her lips. "I wonder what finally woke that child up?"

"According to Femur, " Graveheart paused as Jade rolled her eyes. "Pyrus has managed to put that spark back in her spirit that we all remember her having."

"Oh really." Jade raised an eyebrow as she pondered this thought. "Well its about time."

"That's what Femur said." Graveheart smirked at Jade's less than pleasant reaction. 

"Well…" Jade shrugged and returned a smirk to Graveheart. "The toad is right. This time, anyway." 

"This time." Graveheart nodded with a small grin as Jade yawned. "And now its time for her Highness to get some rest." 

"Since when can you give me orders?" Jade raised an eyebrow at his large grin.

"C'mon." Graveheart stood up. "We can go over these charts after you get some rest." 

"Keep up that ordering business and I'll have to switch you from Ambassador to King." Jade walked out of the room laughing from the look her words left on the quarrior's face. 

"You wouldn't dare." Graveheart followed after the laughing Jade.

"Try me." Jade winked at him before turning a corner.

********

Pyrus entered his room on the ship Ithri with a long sigh. He sat down in the dark on the edge of his bed as the door closed behind him. With a flick of the lamp on the table beside the bed, a dim luminescence added to the light he himself brought to the room. It wasn't until his eyes adjusted that he noticed a small gray box sitting on the table beside the lamp. Pyrus took it in his hands for a moment before lifting the top off of it. After setting the top aside, he peered in at the contents of the small square box. A small note lay on top of a pendant much like Zera's. A small smile came across his weary face as he opened the note to read it.

_Just something to remind you of that promise you made. _

_ With you Always, _

_ Zera _

Pyrus reread the note a few times, his mind thinking fondly of the delicate Ice Empress that he missed deeply. Setting the note aside, he lifted the pendant from the box and opened it to reveal a small picture of Zera smiling up at him. After a long pause to engrave that picture of her in his mind, he closed the pendant and put the chain around his neck. 

"I promise." He said softly as he placed the empty box beside the note and turned off the lamp. With the thoughts of her still running through his mind, he crawled into bed and attempted to get the rest he knew would not come easily.

******

On planet Ice, rest came with no more ease. The Empress Zera fidgeted with the family pendent around her neck as she paced the balcony of her palace room. She had found herself unable to quiet the growing concerns in her mind, and now her own body refused to remain still. With every turn of her body, her mind filled with new possibilities of the fight ahead for the Alliance fleet. Soon to follow were nervous revelations about her strange vision she had experienced on planet Sand. With the fleet on radio silence, she found herself slowly going mad with worry.

"Empress, will you not come and sit?" Crystal watched Zera with a great look of concern. She smiled and patted the seat next to her as Zera paused in her pacing. "You are going to make yourself ill with worry."

"I know." Zera sighed heavily. "But I can not help these thoughts that keep coming into my mind." She took a few steps toward the offered seat. "Thoughts that trouble me greatly."

"What thoughts, my Empress?" Crystal tried to make conversation to calm Zera.

"Why…" Zera began, then she stopped to try and bring order to the chaos of images that had flooded her mind. "It just does not make sense."

"What doesn't?" Crystal tilted her head.

"Why are the Beast ships just sitting there, in the middle of space." Zera shook her head. "Its not practical."

"They are the Beast." Crystal inputted. "The Beast is far from practical, my Lady."

"I know." Zera furrowed her brow as she thought. "But they are not stupid, either. Congregating in such a large number in that spot gave us clear view of their existence. That is hardly an intelligent thing to do." 

"No, Empress." Crystal nodded. "I don't suppose that it is. Perhaps they were planning something, an attack perhaps?"

"Yes, but why there? Where they knew we could see them. Where they knew we would…" Zera stopped suddenly and looked at Crystal with a wide eyed fear. "What if that was there plan all along!"

"To be seen by us?" Crystal began to understand Zera's reasoning, and she didn't like where her ideas were leading to.

"What if they wanted us to see them, and then to go after them." Zera began to tremble slightly as flashes from her disturbing vision came back in full force. "What if it was a trap. What if all this time, what they wanted was to get the Alliance fleet there, to that very spot?"

"And do what, Empress?" Crystal knew the answer before she finished the question. 

"Attack a now defenseless planetary cluster." Zera swallowed hard. Every part of her had told her not to let the attack go on. The vision had shown it all to her. It had revealed the cluster falling to dust. Again, however, she had remained silent when so much was at stake. "By Frore, Crystal…what have I done?" 

*******

"Come in." Tekla spoke as a small knock came at the door to her tech lab. Her eyes remained vigilant on the readouts she was receiving from the alliance ships. With every hour that passed, she regretted even more not going with them. 

"Come in please." Tekla repeated as the knock came again. When the door still did not open, she sighed and took her eyes away from the screen. She tilted her head as she approached the door, Voxx trailing not to far behind. The knocking came again. With a raised eyebrow she opened the door and peered out into and empty hallway. "That's odd." 

"No, its Jewlia." Jewlia swung around from the corner and hit Tekla with a phase pistol. The blast knocked Tekla to the ground as Jewlia aimed at Voxx and fired.

"Jewlia…how?" Tekla tried to get herself from the ground, a deep burning pain in her chest. 

"Does it really matter?" Jewlia stood over Tekla with a prideful smirk on her face. Voxx fizzled and sparked on the floor beside Tekla, unable to repair itself. "You have something I want."

"What?" Tekla blinked, still unable to understand how Jewlia could have broken out of the Rock holding cell.

"That's not your concern either." Jewlia laughed. Before Tekla could respond, she was hit with another blast from the gun, knocking her unconscious. "At least now its not." Jewlia laughed again as she knelt down beside the unmoving body of the Tek princess. She hit a button on Tekla's armor, revealing the leg compartment where what she wanted was located. "Come to Jewlia you pretty little thing." Jewlia smirked and lifted the small crystalline Battle Moon key on its chain and looked at it. She stood back up and smirked haughtily at Tekla's blank face. "Jade should have never given this back to you. Of course, I always did say she had Rocks for brains." With another laugh, she exited the room, leaving Tekla and Voxx in a cold silence.

*******

"Lord Pyrus! Please respond!" Ash's voice rang out on the com-line in Pyrus's room. 

"What…" Pyrus said groggily in response. He had just managed to finally fall asleep.

"Your presence is needed in the com room." The urgency in Ash's voice caused Pyrus to push the weariness away and sit up. 

"What has happened?" Pyrus stood up and began to put his armor back on.

"General Gala has made a…disturbing discovery." Ash's voice became even more troubled than before. "All of the Alliance leaders are being informed and will meet with you via com-link."

"On my way." Pyrus turned off the com and almost ran out the door, his arms unfolding his cloak and attaching it back to his shoulder plates. As his footsteps quickened in pace, his mind could think of nothing but that in his heart he knew that Zera was be in trouble.

******

"We've had no luck reaching the fleet." Crystal turned to Zera as she walked into the room.

"I did not think that you would." Zera shook her head in discouragement. The radio silence command she had given earlier had seen to that. "Keep trying."

"As you wish, my Lady." Crystal nodded and turned back to the com unit. 

"I must go speak with Tekla." Zera walked out of the adjacent door, hoping her fears were just that, fears, and nothing else.

******

"Delivered as promised." Jewlia stepped into the room dangling the key from its chain.

"Good." Shard turned to her. "Now give it to me."

"Not…" Jewlia pulled the key away from Shard as he reached for it. "Until you finish your part in the bargain."

"You will get it, but I need the key to do so." Shard smiled at her. 

"I had better." Jewlia tossed him the key. "Or you'll have trouble walking to that throne when I'm done with you."

"Oh don't worry, my dear." Shard eyed the key with a dark smirk before turning back to what he was doing. "You have done well in this, and you will get everything that you deserve."

******

"Thank you all for coming so quickly." Gala spoke over the com as he peered at the images of the Alliance leaders. "My technicians have discovered that the Beast fleet we detected has been steadily decreasing in size."

"What?" Pyrus raised an eyebrow. "Where have the departing ships been tracked to?"

"That's the problem, lord Pyrus." Gala continued. "Nowhere."

"What do you mean, nowhere?" Jade placed a hand on her hip.

"They simply disappear off of the radar, Queen Jade." Gala sighed slightly at not being able to give a better explanation. "My team is working on the cause at this moment." Gala paused as an Ice soldier interrupted him.

"Vanishing?" Sternum crossed his arms in thought as he turned to his younger brother. 

"Maybe they saw us coming and high-tailed it out of there." Femur shrugged.

"That's not like the Beast at all." Pyrus shook his head. 

"No, its not." Sternum nodded in agreement. "There is more than meets the eye to this." 

"I'm afraid you're right, Emperor Sternum." Gala turned back to the group with a paler face. "We have learned the cause of their disappearances."

"And?" Jade questioned as Gala paused again to look over a data screen.

"According to the sensory data we have collected now that we are closer to them…it appears as if they were never there in the first place." Gala waited for the reactions of the group.

"What!" Pyrus blinked.

"You mean we've been chasing ghost ships this whole time?" Femur said in an angered tone. 

"Please continue, General." Graveheart wanted to know what else lay in the troubled eyes of the Ice general.

"The images on our radars are actually images created by strange property in the moons around Osira." Gala continued. "We believe the Beast fleet is in a different location, and that they have been using the radar 'ghosts' to deceive us. As we get closer to Osira, our radars are able to get a correct reading, hence why the 'ghost ships' have been disappearing."

"And where exactly is the real Beast fleet?" Sternum questioned, an uneasy feeling growing in his stomach. 

"We are trying to determine that right now." Gen. Gala replied. 

"She knew." Pyrus shook his head and mumbled to himself. 

"What was that, kid?" Femur raised an eyebrow at the strange expression that came over Pyrus's face. 

"Zera." Pyrus looked up from his thoughts. "She had a vision with Zuma before we left…and she warned me not to go." Pyrus shook his head. "But I didn't listen. She said something was going to go wrong, but I didn't listen to her."

"We don't know anything for sure yet." Graveheart watched as a great doubt filled the face of Pyrus. 

"We do now, I'm afraid." Gala returned to the meeting. "We've done some figuring on the way the moons bounced the signals, and by our readings…" Gala paused to swallow a hard lump in his throat. "the Beast armada should be entering Alliance space now."

"What!" Jade blinked. "Put all ships on full reverse!"

"We'll never make it in time." Pyrus shook his head mournfully. If only he had listened to Zera's warnings, he thought. If only he had stayed with her like she begged him to do. 

"We will, kid." Femur responded. "We just have to." The com line turned off as all the leaders made haste in ordering the fleet to turn back the way they had come. 

"One thing that I still don't get." Femur turned to his brother. 

"What is that, brother?" Sternum looked down at Femur.

"Planet Ice has the best long range sensory tower in the Alliance cluster." Femur thought for a moment. "Now why would you suppose they haven't seen a huge armada of Beast ships heading the cluster's way?"

******

"We have entered your space, Shard." Lamprey peered at the Ice insect over the com-screen.

"Very well." Shard responded. "The Alliance still has no idea of your approach."

"Good. Then all is going according to plan." Lamprey almost smiled. "Just make sure you keep it that way." 

"Don't worry, I will follow the plan." Shard turned to Jewlia as Lamprey disappeared from the com. "My plan, that is."

"Quit wallowing in your own pride and flip the switch already." Jewlia sighed as Shard stood there looking at her. "This girl aint got all millennia to get what she wants."

"Of course you don't." Shard turned to the control panel with an internal chuckle. With a flip of the switch, planet Ice's sensory tower began to display the correct readout. The Beast armada became instantly visible to the planetary cluster. "Oops." Shard smirked and walked away from the consul. "Clumsy me." 

"Remind me to be out of here by the time the Beast finds out what you just did." Jewlia huffed a small laugh as Shard left the room. 

******

"Tekla?" Zera entered the quiet lab room and reached for the light switch. As the room became illuminated, Zera saw Tekla's unconscious form lying beside one of the tables. Zera rushed over and knelt down beside her. "Tekla? Tekla, wake up! What has happened?"

"Empress Zera!" The alarmed voice of Crystal rang through the silent room. "A large armada of Beast ships has just appeared on our radar!" 

"What!" Zera blinked. Everything was happening as she had seen it. As she held Tekla's limp body in her arms, she lifted her eyes up in prayer. "Oh father, what am I to do?"


	7. Glacier Winds

**Chapter 7:  Glacier Winds**

****

Zera sat in silence on the cold floor of the mechanics lab with Tekla unconscious in her arms.  Waves of emotion spread over the Empress's body as she struggled to come to grips with the situation.  Despite prayers to her father, she knew that she was truly alone in this.  The Beast had returned and was once again threatening to take everything away from her.  Before, in her naïve weakness, the Beast had taken her father from her.  Now it threatened to destroy the Alliance that her father had held so dear.  As these thoughts and emotions rushed over her mind like a tidal wave, Zera carefully set Tekla back on the floor and stood up.  With a clenched fist and a long breath she turned to the com panel.  This time she refused to be weak or stand idly by while the Beast lay its destructive path through the Alliance Cluster.  This time she would do what she felt had to be done, no matter the consequences.   

"Where is the Beast Armada heading?"  Zera spoke with the calm fortitude of her father.  

"A few squadrons of Beast ships have broken off from the fleet and are heading toward Planet Rock, Planet Bone, and the Battle moons.  It appears, however, that most of the armada is heading strait for Ice."  Crystal's voice held its own fortitude, but it was clear how disturbed she was by the images on the screen she was watching.  

"Have the other planets reported?"  Zera questioned, knowing that they were limited to ground forces and a skeleton crew of ships.  

"Yes.  They will be unable to lend assistance to Ice until the Beast Drones on their own planets have been taken care of."  Crystal sighed.  "Most of them are also not yet equipped with the new weapons."  

"Tell Commander Jaren to assemble what ships we have available and mobilize them.  Get the ground troupes to fortify all stations, and keep trying to reach the Alliance Fleet.  I also need a med team in the mechanics lab immediately.  Its appears that Tekla has been attacked." 

"Attacked?"  Crystal blinked.  "Then perhaps we have a conspirator in our midst."

"It would explain the false readings from our radar system."  Zera nodded.  "And why the Armada is heading toward us."  

"But who would do such a thing, Empress?"  Crystal questioned.  "Surely no one of Ice would do that to their own people!"  

"I do not know, Crystal."  Zera's gaze fell upon Tekla's unmoving form.  Zera's fists clenched again.   "None the less, the Beast is here, and now we must fight."

"Yes, Empress."  Crystal replied.  "I will send the palace guard to your location as well."

"No, Crystal."  Zera spoke with the calm assertiveness once attributed to Cryos.

"What do you intend to do?"  Crystal asked with out the sound of surprise in her voice. She knew Zera well enough to know that she would not stand idly by under the care of the guard while her planet fell to pieces around her.  

"I'm not sure, Crystal."  Zera shook her head as she contemplated her options. "But I will not stand by while the Beast threatens my people."

********

"The first Ice deployment complete."  Lamprey looked up from the scanners aboard the Beast Armada's flag ship.  "Twelve hundred drones are now heading toward the Ice palace for occupation.  The second wave is prepaired and waiting."  

"Once the Alliance is securely in our grasps, I will be able to personally carry out my well deserved revenge."  Blokk looked at the ongoing battle with a sneer.  "And I will finally be able to stop playing nice with that Ice flea, Shard."  

"Yes."  Lamprey smiled.  "Too sad I will not be able to witness the look on his face when he discovers what a fool he was to trust us."  

"To think he actually thought his insignificant planet could be allied with the greatness that is the Beast!"  Blokk laughed arrogantly.   

"What is this?"  Lamprey tilted her head as she eyed the ship's scanners.  "We have been detected!"  

"What!"  Blokk stood from his seat and approached the scanners.  "Impossible!  Shard made sure of that."

"Looks like the people of Fire where right."  Lamprey glared at the scanner.  "Never trust an Ice flea."  

"With our armada detected, the planets are launching counter attacks!"  Blokk growled. 

"So our victory is not as assured as it was before."  Lamprey looked out the ship's window to get a view of the battle raging in space above the planets.  "With out their main Alliance Fleet, they are no match for the power of the Beast."

*******

"How much longer?"  Jade approached Graveheart on the command deck of the Rock flag ship.  

"At least thirty-two minutes before we reach the outer rim of alliance space."  Graveheart glanced back toward Jade as she approached him. 

"Cant we get these tin cans to move any faster?"  Jade cast her eyes to the vastness of space through the large domed window of the ship's command deck. 

"If we push any harder, these tin cans will come apart at the seams."  Graveheart shook his head.  

"Still no luck with communications?"  Jade turned her eyes back to Graveheart. 

"No."  Graveheart sighed.  "Lieutenant Aris said that it was almost as if the 

com-lines were jammed from the Alliance Cluster."  

"Are you seriously suggesting that someone from the Alliance is working with the Beast?"  Jade lowered her voice to a hushed whisper. 

"It seems the only explanation."  Graveheart hated the idea, but he could not push aside all of the evidence supporting such an accusation. 

"When I find out who it is…"  Jade sneered and clinched her fists.  "They will wish they had become prey of the Beast."  

*********

"Empress Zera?"  Jaren, the tall Commander of the Royal Palace guard, walked into the lab room.  He stepped around the med team that was hunched around Tekla's unmoving form before spotting Zera.

"What are you doing here?"  Zera said without looking up.  "Your orders were to get the remaining fleet into the air." 

"And I did."  Jaren came up close behind her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.  "When I heard you refused the Royal Guard's protection, however, I made a detour before joining the fleet."

"I will not sit in protection while my people run for their lives.  You know that."  Zera spoke with calm as she gathered several of the new sonic weapons into a bag.

"What are you doing?"  Jaren eyed the bag as she pulled the drawstring on it tight.

"I am going to go stop the drones before they reach the palace."  Zera finally looked up at him, pulling out of his grasp on her shoulder.

"You know I cant allow you to do that."  Jaren returned both hands to her shoulders .  "As both your Royal Guard Commander and as your…friend."  

"As the Royal Commander, you have no say. I order you to lead the air raid on the  Beast ships entering our atmosphere."  Zera placed her hand on Jaren's arm.  "As my friend, I am asking you to step aside and trust in me."  

"I have always trusted in you, Zera."  Jaren sighed heavily as he gazed deeply into her eyes.  At that moment more than ever, he regreted all the unexplored posibilities.   With a small smile from Zera, Jaren nodded and let his hand slip from her shoulder.  He was letting her get past him, again.  He took a hold of her hand in his and looked her in the eyes.  "Just, please, think about what you are doing."

"I am doing what must be done."  Zera responded and squeezed his hand before letting go.  "Protect Crystal." 

"I will."  Jaren bowed his head, and, after a great amount of reluctance, he stepped aside for her to pass.  He watched in silence as she left the room with the bag of sonic charges.   "May your father's spirit be with you, Zera."  He slowly turned his eyes to Tekla.  "May it be with us all."  

******

"There are simply too many."  A rock solider commented as he watched the red sky fill with Beast ships over the caverns of Rock.  "We simply don't have the resources!"

"I don't care if you have to fight them with stones and your bare hands, soldier!"  The commander in charge of the Rock reserve fleet barked out.  "We must protect the citizens of Rock at all costs until there are none of us left to do so.  Understood?"

"Yes, Sir!"  The soldier saluted and placed his helmet back on before running to man one of the gun stations.  

"I pray you reach us in time, my Queen."  The Commander watched the Beast ship-filled sky knowing they had no hope of winning with out the fleet.  He looked around the small lot of soldiers that had been left on the planet as the Beast ships began to land.  The marching of Drones echoed across the valleys and caverns as the citizens of Rock scrambled for cover.  Picking up a single rock and clenching it in his fist, he called out in anger at the Beast, giving what could very well be his last order.   "Fight them with everything!  For Rock and honor!" 

"For Rock and honor!"  The band of troupes called out as they followed their commander into battle.

*******

"Are they gone yet?"  Pelvis called out from his position in a secured room within the deep crevasses of planet Bone..  

"No."  One of the eight guards outside the shielded room responded. 

"Come on."  One of the guards whispered to the others.  "I'm not going to just stand here.  We must go fight."

"Yes, we must."  The other guards agreed and silently made their exit.  

"Well, let me know when they are gone."  Pelvis ordered.  He waited for a moment in the dark silence.  "Please?….hello?…Anyone!"  

********

"Hurry!"  A harshly aged Capt. Blaze commanded the soldiers on one of the Fire moons.  "We must get everyone inside of the protected shielding.  They could activate the Battle Moons at any moment!" 

"I cant believe they haven't activated them yet."  Lieutenant Commander Naja said as he watched the view of space fill with the Beast Armada ships.  "There must be thousands of them."  

"Princess Tekla has the command keys."  Another soldier commented as he ushered one of the last families inside of the protected area.  "Surely she will wait until the last moment to use them."  

"For now our fate is in her hands."   Blaze turned as looked over the people of Fire as they rushed into the protected zone.  So many of the faces were filled with fear and deep sadness.  The sight of a father carrying his child into the shielded zone brought Blaze's thoughts to his daughter, Ash.  As he closed the door to the shielded area, he prayed that he might live to see her again.

*****

"Commander!"  The Rock soldier could only watch as a beast Drone missed the Commander and hit the stone ledge above him.  Large chunks of rock tumbled down around the Commander who had no time to react.  The pile of rock crushed the Commander beneath it, destroying his armor-shield against the void energy.  The soldier rushed over to his fallen commander and knelt down beside him.  As the  Commander gasped for air, he out stretched his fist and placed the stone into the soldier's awaiting hand.

"For Rock and honor."  The Commander gasped out.  "Now go, that's an order, soldier." 

"For Rock and Honor, until the last man stands."  The solder grasped the Commander's hand with a firm grip and nodded.  Carrying out his Commander's last order, he left to join the remaining soldiers in battle. He gripped the stone in his fist firmly, never looking back to the sound of the Beast Drone's fire voiding the energy of a once proud and honorable man of Rock. 

******

******

"My Lady!  Wait!"  Crystal called out to Zera as she rushed to catch up with her. 

"I can not wait, Crystal."  Zera responded with out looking back or slowing down.

"Where are you going?"  Crystal joined Zera in her fast pace toward the front of the palace.  

"I am going to carry out Glacier Winds."  Zera responded without a sign of emotion.  

"What!"  Crystal stopped dead in her tracks and pulled Zera to an abrupt halt by her arm.  The Glacier Winds was a last resort plan conceeved in the mind of one of Ice's former leaders.  In an attack on the palace, a nanonite shield is put in place in order to mask its exisistance from radar and site.  A chosen group is sent out with a device that sends out a false energy signature and image to the invaders.  It was never meant to be used, nor was the planet's leader ever intended to be the device carrier.  "Zera, this is complete madness!" 

"Its all I've got."  Zera responded as she eased her arm out of Crystal's grasp.  "With out the fleet, my people are defensless.  They are easy prey for the Beast.  I will not let them down when they are counting on me so much." 

"You mean like you let them down before?"  Crystal shook her head, knowing full well the blame Zera put on herself for loosing Cryos.  

"This has nothing to do with that."  Zera turned away from Crystal's acusing eyes.

"Yes, my Lady, I think that it does."  Crystal calmed her voice into a melancholic whisper.  

"Perhaps, in a small way, it does."  Zera turned back to Crystal.  "But it has more to do with my duty to my people.  No one is going to save us this time, my friend.  I must live up to my title and do this, for my people and our planet."

"Then let me come with you."  Crystal pleaded with her long time friend and Empress.  

"Not this time."  Zera smiled slightly and gave Crystal a small kiss on the cheek.  "Watch over Jaren, protect my people, and tell…"  Zera paused for a moment to choke back a sudden sob that emurged from her throat.  "Tell Lord Pyrus that I am sorry that I could not keep my promise."  

"You act as if you are not coming back from this."  Crystal let her stoic gaze crumble as the tears fell from her eyes. 

"Of couse I will return.  Promis me you will do thse things, just in case."  Zera tried to encourage Crystal, though she herself held no such optimism.

 "I swear upon it."  Crystal found no comfort in Zera's words of encouragment.  "What is it you intend to do once the Beast finds your location?"

"I am going to give them a meal for their hunger that they will not soon forget."  Zera gave Crystal a small smile again before disapearing out the door.  

"Let me go instead!"  Crystal ran after Zera, not yet wanting that to be the last.  Finding the door locked, she beat her fist upon it with a furry of tears and anguish.  As she slid down the door to her knees, a most unwanted tapping sound became louder as it neared her. 

"Why Crystal, what ever is the matter?"  Shard put on a mask of sympathy as he neared the sullen attendant.  

"The Empress has left us."  Crystal did her best to dry her tears. 

"What?."  Shard raised an eyebrow in curiosity.  "Surely the Empress would not  abandon us in such a time of need."  

"She has not abandoned us, you fool."  Crystal hissed spitefully as she stood.  Her tall stature towered over the hunched Councle.  "She has gone to sacrifice herself for us."

"Oh?"  Shard turned his face from hers to hide the smirk fighting to come onto his face.  He could not believe the Empress had played so perfectly into his plans.  For a moment in this, he had feared that his continued stress on the option of Glacier Winds in his royal training of the princess brat had been for nothing.  Now, everything he had worked for so hard in his life was coming together in one single strike.  

"Will you do nothing to try and stop her?"  Crystal became even more enraged at Shard's indifference to it all.  

"She is the Empress."  Shard replied.  "You know that what she decrees can not be stopped."  

"That's it!  That is all you have to say?"  Crystal hissed again at his rudeness. 

"Yes, it is."  Shard turned and walked away from her.  In a moment of pure arrogance, he paused and turned back toward her.   "Besides, perhaps it is for the best of the people."  Shard turned sharply and left Crystal in a stunned and enraged state of shock. 

"This can not be happening."  Crystal spoke as she forced her mind to deal with the few moments of chaos that had come to destroy her.  "Father, where are you?"  

*****

"As soon as we reach the cluster, we must devide the forces equilly among the planets."  General Gala spoke the leaders of the fleet.  

"Gala is right."  Pyrus looked to the others.  "If we simply split up acorrding to race, some of us may be no match for what the Beast could have in store for us."

"Agreed."  Sternum nodded.  

"And the new energy pulse weapon?"  Jade questioned.  "Will it work?"

"We can only hope."  Gala sighed and turned back to the enormous readings of Beast ships being displayed on the screen.   "We can only hope."

*****

"Stay with me Father and give me strength."  Zera sighed and entered the command sequence into the controll panel.  As the nanonite shield enveloped the palace and caused it to disapear infront of her, she could only hope that it would work.  With out another look back, she headed out onto the plains of Ice, the chilling winds blowing bitterly at her back.  

*****

"The energy signatures from planet Ice have disapeared."  Lamprey scowled.  "The drones will be blind with out them." 

"What?"  Blokk pushed Lampry out of the way as he apporached the sensor panel.  After a few moments of silence, the sensors came back to life.  "Just a glitch.  Perhaps more of Shard's doing."  

"Perhaps."  Lamprey eyed the sensors with scrutiny.  

"Relax and enjoy our victory!"  Blokk boasted.  

"But wasn't the palace over here before?"  Lamprey raised an eyebrow.

"Do not be foolish!"  Blokk scoffed.  "Nothing can fool the might of the Beast.  Despite Shard's betrayal, nothing can save them from our grasp!  We will hunt them down, no mater how hard they try to hide."

"But.."  Lamprey started to protest again. 

"Order the second Ice-attack squadron to that energy signal."  Blokk interrupted Lamprey to give orders to a drone.  "I want that palace reduced to Ice dust." 

*****

"Mother, I'm scared!"  An fire child cryed out in the silence that had enveloped the huddled masses inside to the energy shield.  The mother smiled softly at the small child with the look of lost hope in her aged eyes. 

"Do not worry, my son."  The mother cooed.  "It will all be over soon."

"Will it?"  Ashanta turned to her husband after watching the mother and child, his hands firmly grasped in her own.

"I…"  Blaze looked at his wife, trying to mask his own look of lost hope.  "The fleet will arive soon, my beloved.  I know they will."

"Forgive me, my husband."  Ashanta curled up in his arms.  "I fear for our lives and the life of our daughter." 

"I know."  Blaze nodded and tried to present the great strength he was known for.  As his thoughts dwelled on their daughter Ash, however, he felt his strength begin the melt away.   

"Just hold me in this silence."  Ashanta looked into the softened and lost eyes of Blaze as a bombardment of fire rocked the moon's surface.  "At least we are together in this."

"Yes."  Blaze nodded.  "And we have that to give us strength."

*****

"Why havent they used the battle moons yet?"  A rock shoulder spoke as he and his unit huddled behind a cavern wall.  "We could sure use their help." 

"I'm sure they have their reasons."  The commander of the unit kept his eyes on the valley below.  

*****

            Deep in the protected caverns carved out a millinia ago by the Sand people, Zuma and her kind gather in the hopes of sending word to the Allaince fleet.   Joining their minds into a sea of collective thought, the ancient people of the Sand find themselves with a full view of the great war at hand.  So much destruction, so much hate, and so much sorrow washed over the group as they forced themselves to endure such images.  Catching photgraph like glimpses through the eyes of the people on the Alliance, Zuma fought to focus on their mission.   Once glimps into the mind of a particular Ice female, however, gave Zuma reason to pause. 

"It is Zera."  Zuma's voice echoed within the minds of the others.  Zuma captured the visions of Zera waiting in the bitter wind for the arrival of the drones that fast approached her.  "What are you doing child?" 

"Zuma."  Zera's spirit calmed as Zuma's voice echoed in her mind.  Kneeling the frosted snow with the staff that Pyrus had given her as suport against the powerful winds, she focused on the voice calling her.  "I am doing what must be done."  

"Zera."  Zuma repeated as she focused on the plan set in Zera's mind.  "No, child.  There must be another way."  

"It must be done."  Zera whispered again, closing her melancholic eyes as the great march of the Beast drones broke over the horizon. 

******

"We are entering Alliance space now, my Lord."  Ash spoke as Pyrus stepped onto the command deck of the Ithri. 

"Drop to impulse and head strait for the center of the cluster."  Pyrus commanded.  

"Hope we made it in time."  Femure's voice entered the command deck as the other Alliance Leaders appeared on the view screen.  As each of them took in the horrific immage of the Allaince cluster falling under the Beast's control, a numbing silence filled each of the ships.  The planets where ablaze with weapons fire, and the Beast armada was in greater a number than ever imagined.  "Holy canolies."  

"Alirght, lets go shove this weapon down their throats."  Jade said between grinding teeth.  

"And remember to stay in your assigned squadrons."  Graveheart reminded the fleet as the attack units began to move off to engage the Beast.

"Pyrus."  Zuma's voice echoed loudly in Pyrus's head with to mutch emotional force for him to handle.  

"What…"  Pyrus became weak at the knees as Ash rushed to support him.

"My Lord!"  Ash looked at him through concerned eyes. 

"Whats wrong kid?"   Femur watched as Pyrus struggeled to regain his composure.  

"Im not sure."  Pyrus cleared the strange feelings from his mind and tried to focus.  "I think it was Zuma,"

"Zuma?"  Sternum raised an eyebrow.  "What did she want?"

"I don't know."  Pyrus shook his head in thought, unable to brush aside the great sence of fear that had come to him through Zuma's voice. 

"Sir!  We are engaging the Beast squadrons over Planet Rock."   One of the fire attack ships called over the com line.  "There are so many of them, Sir."

"Use evasive manuvers, and fire the energy weapons when you have a clear  shot."  Ash turned from Pyrus to give the orders to the fleet.  She paused a moment to look at Pyrus to make sure he was alright.  After a small smile from her Lord, Ash nodded and returned to her command station.  

"Sir!  They are breaking our formation!"  Another soilder called into Jade's com line.

"Stay in formation or I will come out there and put you in formation myself!"  Jade gruffed out. 

"Yes, Sir!"  The soldier replied.  

"Fireing the energy pulse."  An ice soilder came over the line from the same squadron over planet Rock.  Each of the planetary leaders watched and waited in an errie silence.  As the energy pulse echoed out in waves from the ship into a attacking unit of Beast ships, nothing appeared to happen.  "Sir, I am sorr…wait…something is happeneing…By Frore."  The soldier's voice became hushed aw as the Beast ships suddenly exploded and desentigrated.  Left behind where the ship's containment units, now adrift in space.  The voice energy had been destroyed.  

"Confirmation of destroyed Beats energy!"  The Fire solder cheered.  "I repeat, we have confirmation!"  

"Greta Inferno, it works!"  Ash's respons sent shouts of victory through the command ships and attack squandrons.  After a moment of command lapse to enjoy the victory, she regained her serious composer.  "All squadrons engage!" 

****

"By Jade's crown, what was that?"  The rock commander stationed behind the cavern wall pointed up to the sky as a great wave enveloped the Beast ships over head and destroyed them. 

"The energy pulse, sir!"  An elated officer replied.  "The fleet!  They have come home!" 

****

"Look, my husband."  Ashanta pointed past the shield barrier.  

"I knew they would come in time."  Blaze gave a rare smile to his beloved. 

"Yes, you did."  Ahsanta retured the smile as the fear left her spirit.

****

"What was that!"  Lamprey blinked as the Beast squandron over Rock disapeared.  "Their void energy signatures have disapeared!"

"What!"  Blokk charged toward the screen.  "That is impossible!  The Beast is indestructable!"  

"No longer, it seems."  Lamprey glared.   "Shard will pay for not telling us of this new weapon."  

"Shard will pay."  Blokk flung his fist through the screen with an enraged howl.  "They will all pay."

"Send out all remaining squadrons."  Lamprey ordered.  "I want all the alliance lead ships destroyed.  They may have a new weapon, but we have forces too great in number to be defeated."

****

"Sir!  More Beast ships have come from the Beast Planet.  The numbers are…indescribable."  A Bone soldier reported.  "And they are heading strait for the Alliance Command ships!"  

"Let them come."  Sternum sneered.  "We will give them a fight they will never forget."  

"We are taking heavy fire!"  The Bone soilder at the tacticle station yelled across the deck to Sternum.  "The Void Shielding is failing!"

"Fire the energy cannons!"  Sternum commanded. 

"Sir, for every Beast ship we destroy, there are hundreds more to take their place!"  The soldier informed him.  

"Then we will destroy them one by one untill we are no longer able to!"  Sternum glared at the soldier to make sure his order was fully understood.

"Yes, sir."  The soldier gulped.  He looked back at his screen and blinked.  "Sir!  A large attack ship has entered the battle and is drawing the enimy fire!"

"What?"  Femur raised an eyebrow.  "What ship?"

"Yeeeehoo!"  A triumphant femal voice broke over the command line.  "Hope you boys don't mind if I join in the fun!"

"Tibia?"  Femrue blinked as his jaw dropped.  

"You better believe it hunny."  Tibia's voice laughed as her ship dodged skillfully in and out of the Beast ships, pulling their attention away from the Flag ships of the Alliance.

"We thought you were dead!"  Femur's voice filled with excitement as he turned to smile at his brother.  

"Ha!  You should know I don't go down that easily!  Ulnae just decided he would wait till the last possible minute to fix my engines."  Tibia chuckled. 

"Good to have you back."  Sternum shared momentarily in Femur's excitement before turning back to the battle at hand.  "Just keep them occupied and we will get them off your tail with the new energy weapon."

"You got it."  Tibia cut off the com and turned to her duty at hand.  

"She's alive."  Femure spoke in a hushed daze.

"Yes, she is."  Sternum turned to his brother.  "Now let us focus on the battle so that we are alive to greet her later."

"Aye aye, Capt'n."  Femur nodded a smirk to his brother before turning back to the opperations pannel. 

****

"Pyrus!"  Zuma's voice rang through the Fire Lord's mind again. 

"Zuma, not now."  Pyrus whispered as he clenched his teeth against her intrusion into his thoughts.  The command deck grew quieter as they turned to watch Pyrus struggle with an invisble force.  

"Pyrus, please!"  Zuma cried out to him.  "You must hurry!"

"Hurry to where?"  Pyrus allowed himslef to open to Zuma, the urgencey in her voice sending a chilling fear up his spine. 

"Zera."  Zuma spoke the single word and Pyrus's eyes became filled with the visions of what was happening on planet Ice.  

"What is happeneing?"  Graveheart spoke over the com line as he too began reseiveing the mental images from Zuma.  Slowly all of the alliance leaders began to join the collective mind.  As their thoughts intertwined with Zuma's, the vision of Zera standing alone on a great plain of ice clouded their eyes.  

"Zera, what are you doing?"  Pyrus whispered and his mind echoed. 

"Pyrus?"  The vision of Zera looked up to the voice with no face, he eyes locking into the eyes of all the alliance leaders.  

"Look at them all."  Femure swallowed hard as thousands of beast drones bagan to circle around the Ice Empress.  

"The palace…no…Glacier Winds."  Gala came to relize what was happening.  "Zera, you can not!"

"I must."  Zera closed her eyes once again, tightly grasping the staff that Pyrus had made for her so long ago.  

"Zera, what are you doing?"  Pyrus repeated.  

"Pyrus, I must."  Zera lifted her eyes again to look at the vision of him in her eyes.  

"By the strength of Bone."  Sternum stated in wide eyed disbliefe as Zuma showed them all what Zera was planning to do.   

"Zera no!  This is madness!"  Pyrus cried out to her as she closed her eyes to him again.  

"This is all I have."  Zera whispered as a tear appeared from her left eye, only to freeze against her cheek.  

"We are coming, just hold them off."  Jade responded.  

"You'll never make it in time to save my people."  Zera stated with a truthfull finality.  Planet Ice was located on the other side of the outer rim of the alliance.

"Zera, you cant do this."  Pyrus faught to keep his composer infront of the other alliance leaders.  As she brought her eyes back up to his, he found himself unable to keep his heart from speaking any longer, no mater who was listening.  "You cant leave me again." 

"I'm so sorry."  Zera's grip on the staff tightened as she faught to keep herself  from running away.  

"Sir, the Ice unit will reach the planet in twenty minuts."  A soldier on the Ice ship echoed distantly to Gen. Gala.  

"Not soon enough."  Zera looked at the Beast drones coming up over the horizion.  

"Just hold on."  Pyrus pleaded with her.  "You must hold on for me."  The other alliance leaders seemed so distant him now, though he knew they were still their, watching.  All that mattered was Zera.  He searched for words to say to make her stop and run from the drones.  As the circle tightened around her, his time came to an end.   "Zera, you cant leave me again…because I love you." 

"Pyrus."  Zera opened her eyes to him again, feeling the shock of the other alliance leaders echo in their minds.   Pushing it all aside, she focused only on him.  She could not express how she longed to stay, but she knew that was no longer an option.  With a flick of the switch on her energy shield, the gave him a small smile.  "I love you too.  I always have."  

"Then don't go."  Pyrus's mind cried out to her.

"I must."  Zera closed her eyes as her mind intertwined with his to let him feel her love.  "I will always be with you."  She stood and arched her back, lifting her staff virticly in the air.  As the sound of the Beast drone's march pulsated through the minds of the leaders, Zera commited herself to her duty as Empress and uttered two final words.    "Forgive me."

"Zera no!"  Pyrus screamed as his hand outstretched to her.  Zera lowered her staff with a great force upon an energy pulse mine.  The energy enveloped her with a bright light before shooting out in all directions against the Ice.  One by one, the web of energy mines exploded beneith the feet fo the Beast drones for miles over the horizon.  As the pulse shook the Ice plain, the ground shook with a monstorous rumble before crumbling into destruction. With in a few seconds, it was over.  The marching of the Beast was gone.  Ice was once again silent.


	8. Into The Void

            In a single instant, a great light erupted from the surface of Planet Ice, and a great light was extinguished.  The Alliance fleet could only watch with slow advancement toward the crystal blue planet.  A planet that had entered its darkest of days.  With all the lives of her people pressed upon her spirit like an unforgiving and bitter wind, The Empress of Ice had done the unimaginable.  To her, it was her life or that of her people.  She did what she felt had to be done. 

            As the light dispersed in the early morning haze, true witness could be bore to the undeniable sacrifice she had made.  Littered with the containment unit corpses in a sea of black and red that went without end over the horizon, the Ice plain stood in reverent silence.  The silence carried through the glacier cavern, to the walls of the great palace, out past the Freeznor mountain rage, and into the very depths of space.  Time did not move or exist within that silence.  It was afraid to.  Within that moment, at least, there was still hope.  There was still a chance.  There was still life.  There was still Zera. 

But there is always a silence before a storm is born.

****

"No!"  Pyrus called out with his hand out stretched to the image of Zera as she flung her staff into the heart of the energy mine.  Sparks of light exploded into the minds of the Alliance leaders as the web of mines went off one by one, until the entire Ice plain was consumed.  As the great light reached out over the horizon and breached the atmosphere into the dark of space, the great chain of minds was chattered and knocked into turmoil.  Each Alliance leader awoke to the reality of their command decks, hoping it to be a nightmare, finding it to be an unfathomable truth.  

***

"Great Strength."  Sternum whispered in a hushed tone as his mind cleared the foggy vision from his eyes.  

"What in the hell is that?"  Tibia's voice entered the com-line.  To her, the war was still in full assault.  

"What?"  Sternum cleared his throat. 

"That!  Haven't you been watchin the battle?"  Tibia questioned.  "Look on your view screen." 

"Yes, of course."  Sternum pushed it all aside.  They still had the Beast to fight, and if they lost there would be no time to mourn.  "Commander, put the view screen on Tibia's location over…." Sternum paused, not sure of where Tibia was located. 

"Just on the boarder of Planet Ice, Emperor."  The commander responded.

"Not her…not like that…"  Femur mumbled to himself as he backed away from the commotion of the command deck.  

"Brother, look."  Sternum pointed at the view screen.  The energy wave had not ended on the surface of Ice.  A great arc of energy erupted from the surface, sending waves of the pulse into the stared blackness.  

****

"Graveheart, how could she?"  Jade said in a soft spoken voice unheard of in her before.  

"I don't know."  Graveheart shook his head in thought for a moment as the command deck of the Ca'rn continued to wage war against the Beast.  "To understand that, I would have to be the leader of my people."  He looked up at Jade who only nodded knowingly.  

"Sir, Rock reports a great reduction in the Beast drones, casualty reports are coming in, and…"  The Lieutenant paused for a moment as a new readout came in.  "and I think you better see this."  He switched on the view screen to give them all a clear look at the energy wave pulsating from the surface of planet Ice. 

"Its heading strait for a large squadron of Beast ships that were entering Ice's atmosphere."  The helmsman commented.  "Look at the size of it!"  

****

"My Lord?"  Ash's warm grip on Pyrus's shoulder brought his mind from the foggy haze of the soul shattering visions.  "What has happened?  Should we continue to engage the enemy squadrons?"

"I…"  Pyrus found himself without his voice.  He simply shook his head and looked up at Ash with a raspy whisper..  "I can't…now.. I….you command them."  

"But my Lord, I am not.."  Ash stopped her protest as Pyrus looked away from her.  The lost look in his eyes told Ash that something grave had happened.  "As you wish, my Lord.   Alright, keep those Beast drone's busy while the attack ships with the new weapons engage and take them out."

****

"Impossible."  Lamprey stared in disbelief at the view screen in front of her.  "They have a weapon that can destroy us.  Now we have lost…countless drones on planet Ice."

"Mere numbers."  Blokk growled.  "We will still defeat them!"

"Are you blind!"  Lamprey turned Blokk around to face her.  

"I will not let them win this!"  Blokk howled at her. 

"You're not blind, you're mad!"  Lamprey shoved him aside and headed to the command consul. 

"I will not loose my only chance at revenge!"  Blokk grabbed Lamprey's arm and flung her around and into a nearby chair.  "Nothing will take it away from me."

"What good is revenge if you are not around to enjoy it you fool!"  Lamprey hissed at him and restarted her path to the consul.  "They will kill us all.  We must retreat while we still have drones left to retreat!"  

"Retreat is not an option!"  Blokk screamed at her as she reached for the com button.

"It is our only chance.  We must leave now and come back when we have a defense against this weapon of theirs!"  Lamprey pushed to button, ordering all drones to retreat back to the ship.  

"I will not loose again!"  Blokk slammed his fist into the view screen, sparks igniting light into the dim room.    

"To win the war, and your revenge, " Lamprey looked up at him.  "We must loose this battle.  We will return once we have a defense, and then…"

"Then we will make them pay for this humiliation."  Blokk continued to grind his hand into the view screen as it sparked and hissed.  "And Shard will pay by my hand."  

*****

"What has happened!"  Shard commanded as he entered the command room of the closed off Ice palace.  

"The empress has done the unthinkable."  Jaren spoke quietly as he watched the screens displaying what images they could get of the ice plain.  "We must go to her last known location.  There is still hope."  

"Yes, there is always that."  Shard turned sharply and headed back out the door.  "Assemble your men."

"As you wish."  Jaren half bowed as Shard continued his walk down the corridor.  

"I am coming with you."  Crystal ran to catch up to Jaren as he and his soldiers headed toward their hover ships.  

"Why, Crystal?"  Jaren did not look at her as he quickened his stride.

"To look for the Em.."  Crystal started.

"No, why did you let her do this?"  Jaren could not deal with his own guilt in the matter, and found himself placing all blame on Crystal.  

"You think I just let her?"  Crystal grabbed a hold of Jaren's arm.  "You would honestly think that?  After all we have been through?

"I don't know, Crystal."  Jaren couldn't bare to look at her.  He pulled from her grip and continued on his stride toward the hanger bay.  "I don't know anything anymore."

*****

"Consul Shard, if I may have a word."  One of the medics approached him.

"What is it Tal?"  Shard eyed the man.

"It is the Lady Tekla."  Tal paused as he searched for the right wording.  "It appears that she was not only shot, but her key to the Battle Moons was…. lost…or.."

"Are you implying something?"  Shard raised an eyebrow, a nervous twitch making its way to his frozen lips.

"I think we have a traitor among us."  Tal finally got out.  "And perhaps that traitor is still among us."

"Ah, I see."  Shard let his guard down.  "Good work Tal.  I will begin a search party for this traitor immediately.  Please go back and attend to Tekla's care.  We will need her to identify the traitor who attacked her."  

"Yes, of course, Consul Shard."  Tal bowed.  "Glad to have been of service to you."  

"Indeed."  Shard eyed Tal for another moment before continuing on his walk, a new smug smirk hidden beneath his solemn visage.  Everything was working out perfectly.

****

"Jade, look."  Graveheart pointed out.  "The Beast drones are retreating back to the Beast planet.  

"Let them run back home."  Jade glared at the images.  "We'll just focus our attack on the planet itself.  Prepare to engage the Beast planet!"

"Yes, sir!"  The command solder saluted at the order and turned to inform the ships of the plan. 

****

"Very well."  Ash nodded as the order reached the bridge of the Ithri.  "Bring all ships about and head for the Beast planet.  Let us end this now, once and for all."

"No…"  Pyrus shook his head as if clearing another haze of images.  The words of Zera swam through his head trying to yell out to him a warning.  She had foreseen all of this, she had told him what was to happen.  He looked up from his haze and repeated the words she had told him on that night that seemed an eternity ago.  " There was a great eruption from Ice, then a great void swallowing all points of light, and all the planets fell to dust."  

"Excuse me my lord?"  Ash looked to her lord with great confusion.  

"Fell to dust."  Pyrus's eyes lit back to life as he stood up and got on the communicator.  "Fall back!  All ships fall back!  Stay away from the Beast Planet!"

****

"Is he serious!"  Femur interjected as Sternum headed for the communications panel. 

"What is this about, Fire King?"  Sternum was not about to call his troops from a possible victory without good reason.

"You'll just have to trust me on this."  Pyrus replied.  "Or rather Zera." 

"Zera?"  Jade's voice entered the com.  

"I cant explain now."  Pyrus grasped at a way to explain his reasons. 

*****

"Are you sure it will work?"  Blokk looked over Lamprey's shoulder. "We have not even tested it yet."

"Would you prefer to stay here and be destroyed?"  Lamprey hissed.  "We have no choice.  We must test the teleportation device." 

****

"But we are so close to victory."  Sternum protested. 

"I trust ya, Kid."  Femur responded.  "We should do as he says, brother."

"Jade?"  Sternum wanted her opinion on this before he gave the dishonorable order of retreat to his troops. 

"After all that has happened,"  Jade paused.  She looked to Graveheart who nodded and raised his hand to grasp hers.  "I trust Pyrus in this.  Call all troops to fall back."

"You heard her!  Fall back!"  Graveheart turned to the command deck to make sure the order was received.  

*****

"Commencing teleportation in thirty seconds."  A stagnant voice alerted through the bowels of the Beast Planet. 

"This had better work." Blokk glared.  "Or I will shove you out an airlock for making me look like a fool."

"If it doesn't work, fool, it wont matter."  Lamprey glared back with a hissing sneer. "We will be in a million pieces somewhere in another system."

"At least we can take some of them with us."  Blokk pointed at the screen displaying the alliance fleet as they made their advance toward the Beast Planet. 

****

"Fall back!"  General Gala ordered his troupes.  

"But we must make them pay for the Empress!"  A soldier at the head of the fleet responded back.  

"Fall back!  That is an order."  Gala repeated. 

"For the Empress!"  The soldier called out and shut off the com line.  His ship began to advance once again toward the Beast Planet, followed by other ships.  Seeing the act of bravery, a few ships from the other squadrons cut off their own retreat. 

"Fall back you fools!"  Gala slammed his hand against the panel.  

"What are they doing?"  Jade demanded.

"They are refusing to retreat."  Sternum responded simply. 

"And going against orders."  Graveheart spoke with an irritated tinge to his voice.  He knew that Sternum would not try to stop his soldiers.  To Bone, retreat was an act of cowardice and dishonor.  "They are going to get themselves killed."

"We don't know that!"  Sternum replied.  "We are merely going on the words of a distraught King who is not in his right mind!"

"Watch your tongue, toad!"  Ash's voice hissed over the com.

"Watch your own, fire.."  Sternum began to respond.

"Look, we don't need to argue about this."  Graveheart interjected.  "That is the last thing Zera would have wanted."

"Zera is not here, and yet we still follow her words."  Sternum wasn't about to back down from this fight.

" Don't you dare speak ill of her!"  Gala cut in with an emotional fury. 

"That is enough!"  Pyrus yelled over the arguing of the com.  The com went silent as they all waited for him to speak.  His voice became hushed as his eyes shifted over to the visual display of the ships attacking the Beast Planet.  With a small shake of the head, he closed his eyes and could see Zera's vision playing out before him.  "It is already to late." 

****

"5…4…3…"  The voice on the Beast's com-line called out.

**

"For the Empress!"  The soldiers continued to call as they fired shots at the thick skin of the Beast Planet.  

**

"2…1…Transportation in progress."  The voice cut out as a great tremble erupted through the bowels of the planet.  

**

"Sir, we are getting strange readouts from the planet….perhaps we should fall back."  An Ice pilot commented to the lead ship.  

"Never."  The soldier sneered and headed in closer to the planet.  "I will fight them with my last…"

**

"Transportation Engage."  The voice spoke the final words before a great arc of energy enveloped the planet.  A giant void in space formed, bending and twisting all those in its path.  Within mere moments, the Beast Planet was swallowed along with the ships unfortunate enough to be caught in the void's wake.   Empty space was all that remained when the transportation void disappeared. 

***

"It is already to late."  Pyrus opened his eyes again to the sounds of confusion, screaming, and then nothing as the ships caught in the void's wake yelled to be saved. 

"They teleported?"  Jade blinked in astonishment.  

"It would…appear so."  Sternum spoke in a more reserved tone that before.

"Holy canolies."  Femur shook his head in a daze.  He turned to Sternum.  "Now, brother, do you see why I trust what the kid has to say?"  Sternum simply nodded and walked away from the com. 

"Someone wanna let me in on what the inferno is going on?"  Tibia's awestruck voice entered the com.  

"Ya, toots."  Femur sighed heavily.  "Dock in our hanger bay.  I'll fill you in as we head to Planet Ice."

"Planet Ice?"  Tibia raised an eyebrow.  

"Ya, toots." Femur spoke with a heavy heart.  He turned his eyes to Pyrus's face as it appeared on the com.  "There is still hope, kid."

"Hope?"  Pyrus looked up at Femur's image.  As Femur offered him a timid smile, Pyrus nodded and regained some of the flame in his spirit.  "Yes, there is always hope."

"Then on to Planet Ice."  Ash nodded and ordered the helmsman. 

****


	9. Dark Times

            The morning light spread across the pure white plains of hard crystal ice in a slow spreading fog.  Silence met the ears of the snow swan flock that glided overhead in the updrafts and downfalls of the southern mineral plain breezes.  Their crystalloid outstretch wings held their forms effortlessly as the formation tightened into an oncoming swell of frozen air.  A call from the swan at the lead reverberated across the plain, falling to an echo among the others.  In this morning, just like any other morning to them, they turned their heads down and directed their flight up and over the swell toward the thawed lakes of the summer.  Their bodies reflected a rainbow of color as the sun passed them and shined upon the south side of the Freeznor mountain range.  To any traveler of the south, the site was breathtaking in its unending beauty.  

To those on the north side of the Freeznor range, the site that met their eyes this hazy and cool morning also took their breath away.  In the sheer horror and destruction that lay at their feet, it seemed unnatural to breath.

            The convoy of Ice soldiers that headed out from the palace moved at a heavy pace through the newly fallen snow.  Some craned their neck to look up as the small ships of the off-worlders flew overhead toward the smoking mountain range.  As the ships flew off, they turned their eyes back down and joined their comrades in the march toward the place many did not wish to go.  In the short time it had taken for them to learn of their Empress's sacrifice, the Freeznor mountains had already been renamed the Mountains of Lost Hope.  The reports coming back to these foot soldiers from the ships ahead of the convoy gave them no reason for the new name to change. 

 For those among the group whose face had become consumed by the look of age, walking on the northern mineral ice plain that lay at the feet of the mountains only served as a reminder of the past tragedies of their people.  Never before had one generation had to endure so much.  The loss of the Empress Glace, the loss of their King Cryos, the Beast wars, and now the loss of where they had put what remained of their hope, the Empress Zera.  With her loss, so too did their future seem lost.  With no heir, everything was uncertain.  In their eyes that reflected the smoking haze of the mountains, thoughts of impending chaos and sorrow shadowed any hope that might still exist.  Yet still they trudged onward in the silence.   Marching, it seemed, was all they had left to help relieve the numbness of their present existence. 

In one of the small ships overhead, the numbness permeated everything.  All within remained quiet, not knowing what to say if they could once again find their voice.  Jade, in her strong nature, clung tightly onto Graveheart's hand as she felt that nature fail.  Tibia and Femur piloted the craft with only an occasional look to each other.  Sternum clasped his hands behind his back and paced the small hold of the ship, his breaths even and calm to cover the confusion that played over his emotions.  General Gala looked out vigilantly at the ice plain as it moved underneath the ship, his thoughts consumed both by fear for his Empress and for his daughter.   Ash fidgeted with her fingers on the consul in front of her, her eyes stealing mournful glances to Pyrus who stood silent and statuesque in a shadowed corner.  Even as the plateau where Zera had made her stand came into view, the ship remained shrouded in silence.  None dare speak of what their eyes took in, lest the reality of it all welled up and destroyed them. 

The small ship glided smoothly over what remained of the ice plateau, its shadow moving over the unending sea of black and red.  Below them, the smoldering and empty containment units of thousands of Beast Drones spread over the horizon,  still in the noticeable formation of their march.  They never knew what hit them.  And for those that did, it still seemed impossible.  With an irony of grace among the smoking destruction, the ship landed near the edge of what was now a giant chasm of unending depth.  Great chunks of ice still grinded and groaned with their own weight before breaking off what remained of the plateau and falling into the darkness below.  As those on the ship made their exit onto the frozen wasteland, the site of the destroyed plateau stole any hope they had remaining.  

Before them, near the edge of the great chasm, stood a small group of Ice soldiers.  As Pyrus and the rest of the planetary leaders stepped toward them, the Ice soldiers looked at them with an unmasked anger.  With slow heed, they moved aside to reveal Shard's frostbitten glare, Jaren who refused to look at them, and Crystal on her knees.  With her back to them, a great sob rocked her body.  General Gala stepped out from the group toward her, only to be stopped by Jaren's hand. 

"Daughter?"  Gala's frightened voice called out to her as she lowered her head even more. 

"I have failed you, my father."  Her broken words found a weak voice between the sobs of her heart. 

"How, my daughter?"  Gala outstretched an uncertain hand to her.

"You bade me to look over her, you bade me to keep her safe."  Crystal's delicate form struggled to her feet in a shaking movement unnatural to her graceful figure.  "I failed you."  

"Where is Zera?"  Pyrus was surprised to find his voice as he forced his feet to move forward, his mind screaming at him not to ask the question, his heart screaming its desire to know the answer.  

"I am so sorry, my Lord."  Crystal's soft spoken whisper chilled Pyrus almost as much as the look in her eyes as she turned to him.  With a few slow steps toward him, more tears began to form in her eyes.  The wind nipped at a veiled object clutched her arms.  Her eyes left his as she feel to her knees before him, lifting the shrouded object up to him in offering.  The wind tugged at the veil, finally grabbing it and sweeping it away into the foggy distance.  In Crystal's upturned and shaking palms lay the cracked and distorted remains of Zera's once grandiose crown. 

"No…"  Pyrus's trembling hand outstretched to the crown's tarnished and charred surface.  Its misshapen appearance formed a well of doubt in his mind.  His mind could not come to terms with the fact that the nearly unidentifiable lump of metal before him once sat upon the head of whom he held so dear.   

"I don't believe it."  Pyrus snapped his hand back from the hideous object as if it would poison his soul to touch it.  As Crystal remained still in her offering to him, Pyrus turned to Shard.  "Is this all you have found? Have you searched everywhere?  Is there nothing of her?"  

"I assure you that we have." Shard nodded in an over-sullen tone before turning away from Pyrus's accusing eyes.  

"It is true."  Jaren nodded as Pyrus turned to him.  "Where she once stood,"  Jaren pointed out to the center of the great chasm.  "there is simply nothing…nothing left.  We were lucky to find that at the edge of the crater."  Jaren's eyes gazed at the crown in Crystal's unmoving hands before lowering them to the ground with the sting of tears.   "There is nothing else out there.  Nothing but death."  

"We do have teams scouring the chasm itself."  Shard continued as his eyes held vigil to the north.  "But if she did fall such a distance…"  He trailed off and turned to the planetary leaders as the foot solders began to gather around behind them from their long trek across the mineral plains.  "Though it destroys my heart to say so, we must face the reality.  Empress Zera is dead."  

"Show me a body and ill believe it."  Jade crossed her arms and turned away from the group, taking comfort in Graveheart's hands upon her shoulders. 

"Are you certain there is no way?"  Sternum interjected as Pyrus once again turned his eyes to the crown.  Shard turned away from Sternum in silence.

"There's gotta be some hope, eh kid?"  Femur mournfully watched as Pyrus once again outstretched his hand toward the mangled crown.  As his fingers brushed its surface, an onslaught of reality and truth rocked his body, causing his breath to stop. The crown's rough and broken surface cut into Pyrus's skin as he wrapped his fingers around it and tightened his grip.  The weight of the object seemed immense and false in a way that confused his senses.  It was as if death itself hung onto it and was trying to pull it into the chasm where its owner was supposed to lay broken and still.  Crystal fell to one side in soft weeping as the great burden was finally lifted from her hands.  Femur's questioning and hopeful voice shattered the silence as the hundreds of solders fell to one knee behind them.  "Kid?"

"She's gone."  When Pyrus found his breath again, it pushed his voice forward with the unmistakable sound of pain and a dying belief in the word 'hope'.  His feet stumbled beneath him as his knees weakened against the false weight of the crown in his hands. With the sway of a sob through his body, the strong Lord of Fire fell to his knees, left sparkless and alone in a looming darkness.  

Within the seconds that passed slowly in the bitter winds swirling around him, his mind fell to thoughts of her.  They dwelled on the day where it all began, that fateful day on his father's bridge.  Her surprising spirit, her brashness that made him laugh, her grace and unfamiliar beauty that made him catch in his breathing, her love of life, the feel of her lips that even in their coldness sparked a deep fire within his soul, and the look in her eyes when she looked at him.  How he longed to see those eyes again.  Those eyes that would now forever remain closed and unseen.  

The chill wind bit at his cloak and tugged him back into reality, as if to decimate any small remaining spark of hope his heart might still be holding onto.  In that reality he came to a final understanding of that haunting call that had escaped Zera's throat as she took in the death of her father.  In such destruction and loss, it seemed the only natural thing to do.  After a few more sobs erupted from his trembling body, his fists clenched onto the only piece of her he had to hold onto.  His eyes turned up to the sky as snowflakes of delicate white began to fall around him.  The silence consumed him as he choked for breath.  

Instead of a breath came a scream.

            The great scream that tore through the silence that day would never be forgotten in times yet to come.  As its howling echo carried across the mountains, carrying with it the deafening pain and anguish of Pyrus's soul.  The people of Ice soon took up its heed and joined him in a cry of loss.  No one would ever forget the day the King of Fire's cry  of mourning was louder that all the peoples of Ice combined.  No one would ever forget the day Fire cried at the loss of Ice. No one would ever forget, no matter how much they wanted to. 

And as suddenly as it had begun, the sound ended.

And once again Ice was silent.

*****

            The days following the death of Empress Zera melted into each other, with no single point in time standing out from the others.  Whispers of hope still made their way into the voices of the people of the planetary cluster.  With each day that passed and ended in the search of the Ice cavern, those whispers were becoming ever more faint.  .  At the end of the second week of searching the endless depths of the dark pit, the people of Ice found themselves gathered by the only authority figure they had left.  The entire planetary cluster held its breath as Counsel Shard spoke to the gathered crowd.

"Fellow citizens of Ice."  Shard held his hands out above the crowd.  "We have searched the great cavern for four weeks now, and to no avail.  It is there fore that I, and the military leaders of our people, have decided to end the search.  For the past two weeks, our people have been locked in a mournful standstill.  I know that this is not what the Empress would have wanted.  It is time that we put a finality to this mourning, and return to our lives.  The Empress, in all her caring and wisdom, would have wanted us to continue to grow and prosper as a great nation.  She knew our potential, even when we did not.  She wanted us to be safe and at peace.  We must honor those wishes, and honor her great sacrifice.  She did not sacrifice her life to save our planet, which she so loved, for us to waste this new chance in sorrow with our heads down.  We will hold a mourning ceremony befitting the Empress that Zera was, and forever will be in our hearts.  Then, we must do as she wishes, no matter how hard, and try to restore normality to our lives.  In doing so, the Empress Zera will never be forgotten." 

 With his speech ended, Shard stepped back into the palace.  The crowd, having been dealt the final blow, dissipated in silence without protest to the words Shard had spoken.  They were a broken people, and living the lives that their Empress had wanted for them seemed an impossible quest.   

****

"Come in"  Jade looked up from the damage reports that kept poring in.  It seemed every time she welcomed some one into her office, more bad news was sure to follow.  With each knock that echoed on the stone door, her shoulders lowered with the growing burden of her people.  The fact that someone close to her had just died made it even harder to concentrate.  She leaned back in the stiff and cold chair and stared at the door, waiting for it to open.  Her face slightly softened to the blue eyes that greeted her as Graveheart walked in.

"Am I interrupting?"  Graveheart took a few steps into the room and quietly shut the heavy door behind him.  

"Never."  Jade did her best to give him a warm and welcoming smile.

"I see more reports have come in."  Graveheart pointed to the pile of data pads as he stepped behind the desk.  He stood beside Jade and placed a hand on her shoulder.  If anything, the death of their friend and the attack on the cluster had brought them closer.  

"They never seem to stop coming."  Jade huffed with a shake of her head.  "The Beast had time to do some serious damage before we arrived.  And if we hadn't arrived…how could we have been so foolish?"  Jade lowered her eyes when she thought of just how much their foolishness had cost them. 

"Its something we're all going to have to live with now."  Graveheart sighed and gave a gentle squeeze to Jade's shoulder.  She nuzzled her cheek against his hand before nodding in agreement.  "Shard says he is still in the belief that it was sabotage."  

"Perhaps."  Jade lifted her head and glared at the unknown person who had dared commit such a betrayal.  Her jaw set in anger as she thought about all she would do to such a person.  And the only one who could give light to the mystery was locked in the silent sleep of a coma.  "Has there been any change in Tekla's condition?"

"None."  Graveheart shook his head solemnly.  "I did come with some news, though."

"Oh?"  Jade looked up in a hopeful manner. 

"Yes."  Graveheart looked away from the fleeting look of hope in Jade's eyes.  "Zera's funeral has been scheduled for tomorrow evening in the Great Hall on planet Ice."

"Oh."  Jade's eyes drifted downward in the wake of more unwelcome news.  Her strength once again being tested, she forced away the urge to cry, and instead let a dry sob quake through her body.  She wasn't sure she would be able to keep that strength tomorrow. 

******

            With in the walls of the Fire fortress, no flames burned brightly in the light of such darkness.  All walked in silence through the halls, only sharing a passing glance with one another.  All were unsure of what to do, or say, or even think.  The darkness that had enshrouded their home was hard for them to understand.  The death of the Empress saddened them, for they knew she was a friend to their Lord Pyrus, but the depth to which he mourned her passing concerned them.  Not since the loss of their planet had such a black veil of sorrow been felt throughout the land and its people.  The state of the palace drifted into the cities, and the people spoke in hushed whispers about its true nature.  It seemed that all they could do was allow this darkness to exist and then, in their hopes, fade away into memory.

            There was only one among them who knew that this mourning was more than a passing sigh.  Ash had seen the look in the eyes of her lord, she had seen the smile, she had understood the signs.  Ash knew that Pyrus had indeed loved the lost Empress, and now it seemed his spark was dying without her.  In the uneasiness of this secret, Ash felt the questioning eyes of the people upon the palace gates.  She wondered if they could understand it, or if they would support it if they did.  Wanting to know the answers to those questions, she sought the only council that she could trust with such information; her parents.  

"Hello Ash."  Ashanta gave her daughter a small smile and caressed her mournful face.  

"Should you not be in council with Lord Pyrus?"  Capt. Blaze spoke as he stepped in to the room.  

"How about a welcome to her before asking your questions."  Ashanta crossed her arms and gave her husband a warning look.  Despite her opposition, her husband had been trying to keep Ash as close to Pyrus as possible since her birth.  It was his hope that Ash would be queen, and he wasn't afraid to hide his ambitions. 

"I'm sorry, my daughter."  He sighed and warmly caressed her cheek in greeting.  "I am simply concerned for the king's well being, and I know how he favors you among all others in the palace."  

"Its alright, my father."  Ash gave him a small smile and placed her hand on top of his in acceptance of the apology.  "I would gladly be with him in this dark time, but he has requested that no one bother him."  

"How long much longer must he remain this way?"  Blaze crossed his arms and shook his head sternly.  "It has been much to long!  Surely Zera was a childhood friend to him, but two weeks without word or sight from him?  The Lord of Fire must not remain in the dark and away from his people like this!  Something must be done."  

"What would you suggest, my husband?"  Ashanta was used to Blaze's rants and hot winded speeches.  "Shall we march on the palace and break down the door to his bed chamber?  Or perhaps starve him until he agrees to be happy again?" 

"Sometimes you test the boundaries of my patience, woman."  Blaze retorted in a fiery tongue.  

"And you like it that way."  Ash smirked.  Growing up she had learned just how much they enjoyed testing each other's temper.  When Blaze cooled down and returned her smirk, she returned to the more important issue.  "I do not think that we can force him out of this sadness, my father.  The people must be patient with their king.  They owe him that much.  Besides, this is so much more complex than they could ever understand."

"How so, my daughter?"   Ashanta turned to her daughter with questioning concern. 

"I'm not sure how to say what must be said."  Ash began.  "I only know that it is the truth, and that it could cause division among the people."

"Well child, don't keep such secrets!"  Blaze lifted Ash's chin up.  "What in the Inferno could cause such trouble among people as strongly bound as ours?"

"My father, "  Ash paused and lowered her eyes.  "Would you celebrate in joy if it were that Lord Pyrus had found the one that makes his flame burn brighter than any?"

"We would all celebrate and drink to such news, of course!"  Blaze nodded.  "Our people could use good news like that.  Is that what you are saying child?   That our king has found his queen?"

"Yes."  Ash nodded, her eyes still downcast.

"Why do you speak of a such thing in such a mournful tone, my daughter?"  Ashanta placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Perhaps she is only being shy?"  Blaze raised an eyebrow as his ambitions got the best of him.  Perhaps it is she who has finally caught the King's eye."

"Oh no, my father!"  Ash looked up in shock.  "I assure you that there is only friendship between the King and I."  

"Of course, my daughter."  Ashanta squeezed Ash's shoulder while giving Blaze a scornful look.  

"Well if not her, then who?"  Blaze raised his arms in question to Ashanta.  "What other woman has been near our Lord' side for long enough for him to admire?  What other woman could possibly blind him to Ash's beauty and fire of spirit?  What other woman has he ever spoken of with more admiration and…"  Blaze's words trailed off as his mind slowly started adding Ash's fear of conflict to his own ideas.  

"What woman, indeed."  Ashanta crossed her arms and looked as if she had known all along.  

"Surely you aren't suggesting…surely you're joking."  Blaze turned to his daughter with both anger and uncertainty.  "How can you even think of such an impossibility!"

"Lower your voice, my husband."  Ashanta turned her cool expression to him. 

"Lower my voice!"  Blaze turned his anger to his wife.  "How can I lower my voice when my own daughter speaks something that borders on blasphemy?"

"I knew you wouldn't understand."  Ash found herself returning her father's anger.  "Perhaps if you weren't still stuck in the ways of the past, you would have seen it sooner!  Their love developed right in front of you, and you were to blinded by old ideas to see it!" 

"Dare you speak to me in such tones, child?"  Blaze slammed his fist on the table. 

"Yes, she does."  Ashanta stepped between them.  "And so do I.  You must calm your self.  Our daughter is right, your eyes are still cast behind you instead of to the future."

"The future?"  Blaze stammered.  "How can this be the future for our people?"

"What does it matter now!"  Ash glared up at him.  "Zera is dead, and so it seems your vision of the future remains secure…at least for now.  When she died, so did a part of our king.  What future do you think our people have when their king must mourn in silence and alone.  He can not turn to us as he did when his parents passed, he fears that our people will react with anger and closed minds.  And you have done nothing but justify that fear." 

"Child!"  Blaze raised his voice once again in defiance, but the hurt and defiant look in Ash's eyes quickly took the heat out of his flame.  He looked to his wife as she grasped his hands.  Shaking his head at the enormity of it all, he slowly took a seat at the table. 

"You are wrong, my daughter."  He paused and looked up at her as she began to protest. After silence had returned to the room, he continued with a long sigh.  "I was never blind to the emotions that ran between Lord Pyrus and the Empress Zera from time to time.  In fact, I knew of it more than Cryos.  It grew a spite in me, that nearly cost us the lives of a great many of our people."

"When you took the battle moon?"  Ashanta spoke quietly.

"Yes, my beloved."  Blaze lowered his eyes at the memory of that betrayal.  "I wanted to insure in myself that we were still a people of Fire, full of spirit and flame.  All I received was a look of disappointment in young Pyrus's eyes that I'll never forget.  That is why I 'chose' to blind myself to just how close Pyrus and the Ice princess were becoming.  During the silent six years, I was sure he had forgotten her.  I was sure he would find a woman of Fire.  I was sure he would find you, my daughter."

"Instead, his heart remained still until they were reunited."  Ash added her hand to her parents'.  "If such a thing can remain dormant, only to awaken with even more life, then truly it is a deep and unbreakable force.  They truly did love one another."

"And so we must let him morn." Ashanta finally nodded.  "But what of the people?  Should we tell them?"

"No."  Blaze looked up, a calm having come over him.  "You have seen how hard it is for me to accept such a thing, and I knew of it along time ago.  I don't think our people are ready.  Let them whisper what they will on the streets and behind the vending stalls, but let them only speculate.  We will do what we can to hasten our King's recovery, but I think it is best to play ignorant in this."

"Very well, my father.  I will honor your wishes and tell no other." Ash bowed her head in respect, and Blaze placed his hand on her head in acceptance.  

"Thank you, my daughter."  Blaze let a small and distant smile appear on his age-ravaged face.  

"I will return for dinner, my mother."  Ash and Ashanta exchanged caresses of the cheek before Ash turned to head out the door.  She stopped suddenly and looked at her father's distant gaze.  "Our people can be ignorant in this, because Empress Zera has died.  What will become of it the next time?  What if she hadn't died?  Truly, my father, our people cannot stay in the shadow of ignorance forever."

"No, my daughter, they cant."  Blaze didn't look away from his distant thoughts.  "But for now, the shadow remains the safest place for them to be in this fragile state."

"Someday, then, they will be ready to walk out of the shadow.  You did."  Ash quietly made her way out of the room.  

"Someday."  Blaze whispered as Ashanta caressed his cheek.

*****

            Ash's mind swelled with the discussion she had just engaged in.  To her, it had been a test.  And though it was not passed perfectly, to her it had been a success.  If one so strong in the old ways as her father could take in such a notion and still stand behind Pyrus, then perhaps others could as well.  She began to wonder who else knew of it.  If she had taken notice of it in those few moments between them, then surely others had.  Perhaps the Alliance leaders, both Pyrus's and Zera's closest of friends, knew of it.  The though of her and her parents being the only ones to share in Pyrus's true pain saddened her greatly.  As she turned the corner, she saw Ambassador Femur passing nervously in front of the council chambers.  

"Ambassador?"  Ash tilted her head as she stepped up to the short and portly man of Bone. 

"Ash!"  Femur looked up, happy to see someone who would actually give him the time of day.  "I've been trying to get in to see the kid…er...King Pyrus, but all I get is the cold shoulder." 

"Lord Pyrus isn't accepting visitors."  Ash watched as Femur's face lost its joyfulness.  "I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"Its just that, well ya see, I've got some things to talk to him about."  Femur shuffled his feet.  "And I just…I just thought he could use a friend…since every one 'round here seems to want him to get all happy again.  Just thought, ya know, he wouldn't mind talkin' with me…since I know the way he is aint just gonna go away…or whatever."

"Do you know of why he mourns so?"  Ash raised an eyebrow inquistivly.

"Ya, kid, I do."  Femur returned the look for a moment.  "What a minute, do you?"

"Indeed."  Ash nodded sullenly.

"Holy canolies."  Femur blinked.  "Was begin'n to think I was the only one.  What about the rest of your people?  Cuz I know sure as shit Zera's people don't have a clue, except maybe Crystal."

"No, they don't."  Ash looked around the hall to make sure they had remained alone during their conversation.  "My father believes they are not ready."

"Blaze?"  Femur nearly dropped the data pad he was holding.  "Ole Capitan Fire Pants?  Oh…sorry Ash. I didn't mean to be disrespectful or nothing.  Its just that he had a certain dislike for the Ice people."

"Its alright, and I know."  Ash nodded.  "But I think that age has brought at least some wisdom to his mind."

"If not, then your mother did."  Femur offered Ash a small smile.  "Well, if I cant get in to see him, will you give him this…and tell him I stopped by?"

"Of course."  Ash eyed the data pad.  As she read that it contained the funeral announcement, her heart filled with ache.  She paused and then handed the pad back to Femur.  "Perhaps you are right.  Perhaps it would do him good to see a friend.  I will get you in to see him."

"Thanks, Ash.  You're a real doll."  Femur nodded a small smile and followed her down the hall.

"And you, Ambassador, are a good friend."  Ash returned the small smile, in the back of her mind happy to have someone else deliver Pyrus such unwanted news.  She wasn't sure she would be able to without succumbing to the heavy emotions that ran thick through the palace. She only hoped that Femur could shed some light on Pyrus's dark day.  With the news that he brought, however, she was sure the day would only get darker. 

*****


	10. Call of the Orens

       The soft lighting of the room only added to the eerie silence.  Femur's footsteps echoed effortlessly on the black granite floors.  He had only been this deep into the bowels of the Fire Palace once before, and that was a long time ago.  The place had changed quite a bit.  Even the ground which it sat upon had changed.   Femur let a slow sigh as he entered a large room that was completely dark.  Either the directions Ash had given him were bad, or he had just gotten lost.  Knowing his directional sense all to well, he wasn't about to blame Ash for where he had ended up.  After one last peer into the dark room, he turned on his heal and began to head back the way he came.  Better to go ask for directions again than die of starvation trying to find the way on his own.  

"Femur?"  Pyrus voice called out from the dark room, causing Femur's heart to jump into his throat. 

"Kid?"  Femur turned around after calming his heart and catching his breath.  "Didn't see ya there."

"How did you get in?"  Pyrus sounded more annoyed than happy to see his old friend.

"I.. uh…"  Femur didn't want to get Ash in trouble for her kindness.  "I snuck in."

"I distinctly remember telling Ash that I wanted no visitors."  Pyrus knew that sneaking wasn't something Femur did well.  

"Ya well, she couldn't resist my charm."  Femur took a few steps closer in the darkness.  As his eyes adjusted to what little light there was, the outline of Pyrus appeared.  He sat crouched in the darkness on an ornate chair, the fiery illumination of his body almost non-existent.  Femur had to stop and stare at such an odd site.  Never before had he seen a person of the Fire Planet with out fire.  The dim glowing embers of his body that did show some sign of life ebbed in their brightness with each inhale and exhale Pyrus took.  

"Indeed."  Pyrus opened his eyes momentarily and they glowed deep amber in the shadows around his face.  Instead of looking at Femur, he turned them off into the distance before closing them again.

"Give the gal a break."  Femur leaned on one hip, the data pad still clutched firmly in his hand.  "She thought you could use a friendly face, and I agreed with her.  But if you just wanna sit here alone in the darkness until your insides rot, then who are we to stop you.  Just thought we'd try." Femur huffed and turned to go.

"Femur…"  Pyrus paused for a moment and let out a long breath.  "I'm sorry.  I know you're only trying to help.  Talking is just the last thing that I feel like doing right now."

"I know kid."  Femur turned back to him, the look of fatherly concern returning to his face.  "Trust me, I know.  But ya gotta talk about it, or it will kill you.  Do you think that's what Zera would want." 

"How should I know what she wanted?"  Pyrus spoke with a spiteful tongue as his eyes shot open at the mention of her name.  "Obviously I had no clue."

"What?"  Femur raised an eyebrow at the way Pyrus spoke of Zera, then nodded in understanding.  "Mad at her, are you?"

"You're damn right I am!"  Pyrus slammed his fist against the arm of the chair.  

"Because she left you?"  Femur pressed on, knowing that this emotional outbreak was something Pyrus desperately needed. 

"Because she didn't even try!"  Pyrus grasped tightly onto the chair, his teeth clinched against the emotion raging inside of him.  "We were there!  I was there!  And she just…" he couldn't even say it.  " and she was gone.  She told me she loved me, and then she left.  She didn't even give me a chance to save her!"

"She knew that her palace would've been under siege before we could get there."  Femur tried to offer some reasoning into the conversation.  "She did what she, as the Empress to her people, thought was necessary.  I know a coward like me wouldn't have done the same, but I thought at least you could understand that.  If anything, that's what made you two kids the most like each other.  You would both do anything to save the lives of others."

"Then why couldn't I save hers?"  Pyrus's fiery voice fell to a quiet whisper.  "I should never of left her.  She begged me to stay, but I wouldn't listen.  She knew this was going to happen, and I didn't listen.  Its my fault that she's dead." 

"Don't say that, kid."  Femur sighed.  "Even if you had stayed, no one can say things would have turned out differently."

"But they should have."  Pyrus drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes again.  "It wasn't supposed to be like this.  Our whole lives have been nothing but death and destruction.  We grew up in the resource wars, and we both fought to stop them only to have the Beast's plague come upon us.  We each lost our parents, and I lost my entire planet.  But through everything, we always had each other to fall back on.  Even after six years of being apart, it was like we had never left each other's side.  Then, when all seemed to be going perfectly, just when we were allowed one single moment of happiness, Fate took it away, again.  Now, the one I would turn too is gone.  She has been taken away from me, and now I have nothing left but an empty palace."

"You'll always have her.  As long as you don't forget her."  Femur looked up at Pyrus, hopeful that conversation had done some good.

"That's an impossibility."  Pyrus sighed and pulled out the pendant Zera had given him, its gleaming white surface looking foreign and out of place in the dark room.  "I don't know how I can be a king to my people now.  I have lost my queen, and they don't even know it."

"I think they know more than you give them credit for."  Femur replied  as his eyes fell to the pendant.  "Ash knows."

"Ash?"  Pyrus looked up from the pendant, then back down again at it.  "She's different than most though."

"Ya, that's for sure."  Femur nodded in agreement.  "Still, you will be a good king to your people.  Ya always have been.  I don't think anything could ever change that."

"You sure?"  Pyrus tucked the pendant back beneath his armor with a shake of the head.  "Because I'm not.  Without her, I'm not sure of anything any more. Except perhaps the knowledge that it couldn't possibly get any worse." 

"Uh…yeah...see kid, that's kina why I wanted to talk to you in the first place."  Femur fidgeted for a moment with the data pad.  "Shard sent this announcement out to all the planets a few hours ago.  He's called off the search, and he scheduled Zera's funeral for tomorrow." 

"What!"  Pyrus's eyes shot open.  "That quickly?  He is that anxious to have her in the ground and forgotten?  They don't even have a body yet!  What are they going to do, burry her crown?" 

"Yeah…that's exactly what they're do'n"  Femur nodded grimly.  

"That's ludicrous!"  Pyrus's heating anger surged through his body, and the light of his flame returned in full.

"I know it seems soon, but it's been two weeks."  Femur hated to say it.  "I think its what they need, to move on with their lives.  You know I'll never give up hope until there is at least…something found, but hope isn't in abundant supply on that planet right now."

"Two weeks."  Pyrus's light dimmed slightly as he sank back into the chair.  "Has it really been that long?  I can still see her smile.  I can still feel her…and her eyes..."  Pyrus crouched down and broke into soft tears.  "I'm not ready to leave her behind.  Its too soon." 

"I know, kid."  Femur put his hand on Pyrus's shoulder, content to let him cry.  "It'll always be to soon."

****

 "Crystal?"  General Gala edged open the door to his daughter's room gently and peered inside.  "Are you in here, daughter?"

"I am."  Crystal's sullen voice replied.  "I take it that you have heard Shard's announcement?"

"Yes, I have."  Gala stepped into the room, leaving the door open to add light to the darkness.  He looked at Crystal in the soft light and saw that her eyes were red from crying.  "And you know what you must do."

"Me?"  Crystal looked up in disbelief.  It was her duty as the Empress's attendant to lead the funeral procession, but with all that had happened she thought she would be the last person deserving of such a task.  She shook her head slowly and looked down to her hands as they fidgeted with a piece of silken cloth.  It was all she had left of Zera.  "They should choose another."

"Why?"  Gala took a seat across from her and placed his hand over the cloth.  "Of all in this palace, you were closest to her.  It was she who trusted and cherished you most, above all others."  

"A trust that was misplaced."  Crystal took her hands from his, feeling undeserving of such comfort.  "In the time that she needed me the most, I let her go alone.  It is my fault that she is dead, and everyone in this palace knows it."

"That is not true, Crystal."  Gala replaced his hand onto hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. 

"Yes, it is."  Crystal closed her eyes, giving up on trying to break free from her father's comfort.  "Everyone has placed blame on me.  Everyone despises my presence.  I can feel the glaring hate in their eyes.  Even in Jaren's."  

"It was Jaren who brought the news to me, and he requested to see you."  Gala looked deeply into Crystal's eyes as she opened them.  "I told him your request to be alone.  He was deeply concerned for your well being.  He told me to say that he was sorry for what he said, and that you would know what that meant." 

"He…he said that?"  Crystal looked back into her father's honest face as he nodded. 

"He did."  Gala gave his daughter an encouraging smile.  "As for everyone else, they simply looked for the easiest thing or person to blame at the time.  As the weeks have passed, that blame of you has turned to understanding of the position Empress Zera placed you in by asking you not to go.  You had duty to be with her, but you also had duty to follow her command, as did Jaren."

"Jaren?  What do you mean?"  Crystal tilted her head in confusion. 

"Jaren spoke with the Empress before she left, and she asked him not to stop her."  Gala replied in a soft-spoken voice.  "And so he didn't." 

"When he blamed me then, "  Crystal thought out loud. "He must have been angry with himself."  She looked up at her father's smile and found immense strength in it.  "Then he still cares for me?"

"Yes, I believe that he does."  Gala was happy to see his daughter slowly coming out of her deep depression.  "He is waiting on the balcony.  He said he would wait until you were ready to see him."  

"He did?"  Crystal blinked.  Despite always being second to Zera in Jaren's thoughts, the feelings she had always harbored for him had never faltered.  

"He hurts for the loss of Zera as well."  Gala patted Crystal's hand softly.  "Perhaps talking to each other would offer some relief from the pain and loneliness."

"Perhaps." Crystal nodded and kissed her father on the cheek before standing.  "Thank you, father."

"I am always here for you, Crystal."  Gala gave her another soft smile. 

"I know father."  Crystal returned the smile, knowing to the extent that he had always been there.  "I love you."

"And I you, daughter."  Gala widened his smile as she turned to go, then paused as he remembered the other issue they had been discussing.  "Crystal?  What about the procession?"

"I..."  Crystal's lightened mood faltered as she thought about the day to come.  With a deep breath, she nodded.  "I will do my best to honor my Empress with every step that I take in the procession."

"I know the Empress would appreciate that."  Gala returned the smile to her.  She nodded again and did her best to return his smile before turning and leaving.  Gala exhaled deeply and closed his eyes.  With all the sadness that had entered their lives in the past weeks, he found that his mind drifting more and more to thoughts of Crystal's mother.  It was on days like these that he wished he still had her comforting arms around him.  With her gone, all of his efforts focused on making Crystal happy.  After the events of recent, he knew that job would be more difficult than ever.  He slowly opened his eyes and looked up in silent prayer, asking his wife and the Empress Zera to watch over Crystal and help her to gain the happiness she so deserved.  In the dim light as tears began to form in his eyes, the strong and stoic General had never felt so alone in all his life. 

****

       Crystal stood silently in the archway for several minutes, watching as Jaren gazed out onto the horizon.  The setting sun over the Freeznor mountain range brought a soft orange hue to the light of the balcony, and Crystal found a calming peace at the site of it.  For a single instant, things almost felt normal.  It could be any other dusk before this one, and they could simply be waiting for the Empress to summon them for one of the their many nights that they spent together.  The fact that it was just the two of them, and the summoning from Zera would never come, slowly made its way back into Crystal's memory.  The hazy light of the oncoming evening as she looked at the setting sun seemed to lessen the blow of the reality that Zera was truly gone.  From now on, it would only be herself and Jaren.  With that thought, she made it her obligation to hold onto his friendship at all costs, just as Zera would have wanted. 

"Crystal?"  Jaren's soft voice called to her, waking her from whatever thoughts had consumed her mind.  He had been watching her for several minutes, thinking the same thoughts as she.  It would only be he and Crystal from now on.  That thought brought emptiness to his heart, yet he found comfort in looking at Crystal in the light of the dusk.   

"Hello, Jaren."  Crystal responded timidly, not knowing if she should venture closer to him or keep her distance.  After a few moments of silence passed between them, she continued.  "My father said that you were waiting to see me."

"Yes, I…" He paused, sensing Crystal's uneasy body language.  He knew then that she must think him still angry with her.  "I wanted to make sure you were alright, and to apologize for before."

"There is no need."  Crystal responded and lowered her eyes. 

"Yes, there is."  Jaren final made the first move and took several steps toward her.  She remained quiet and timid in his presence.  It was this that made her so different from Zera.  Zera had a passion in her and she bowed to no one.  Crystal, on the other hand, was quiet and reserved.  Silent and graceful.  A strong and skilled warrior, just like her mother, except that Crystal kept it hidden within her.  Jaren never truly understood that part of Crystal, and perhaps that is why she always seemed to disappear from his eyes in the presence of Zera.  With Zera gone and her death hanging heavily in his heart, for the first time he looked at Crystal's calm grace and found comfort in it.  He stepped closer to her, needing to be close to the one person who knew him better than he knew himself.  Even if he did not love Crystal in the way that he had loved Zera, Crystal's friendship had now become the most important thing in his life.  "I treated you like the enemy, when what you needed most was an understanding friend."

"Its alright, Jaren."  She looked back up at him as he continued his approach.  He paused and looked into her eyes.  They were without anger and filled with understanding.  They also revealed to him her hidden pain as she spoke.  "I know how deeply you...cared… for Zera.  I know how hard her loss has been on you." 

"Yes it has been hard."  Jaren nodded slowly.  "But no more so for you."  

"Perhaps."  Crystal returned his deep look before taking steps toward him.  She took his hand and caressed it in hers.  "Its alright Jaren.  I know how much you loved her." 

"You do?"  Jaren felt a sense of relief rush over him as Crystal's smile brought a small bit of joy to his sad spirit.  

"Of course I do."  Crystal nodded.  Speaking the words brought her little happiness, but she knew it might bring Jaren comfort.  "Though Zera never truly saw it, I have always seen it in your eyes when you looked at her.  Even when we were younger, I remember it being there."

"When we had time together."  Jaren lowered his eyes, remembering all the time Zera had spent away from him and Crystal.  So much of Zera's time was consumed with the Alliance.  An Alliance that had failed to save her.  An Alliance that he was becoming less and less fond of every day. It was then that thoughts of the one he hated most crept into his mind.  "When she wasn't with him."  

"Lord Pyrus, you mean."  Crystal had known of Zera's feelings for Pyrus well before even Zera herself had understood them.  It appeared that those feelings hadn't escaped Jaren's eyes either.  

"Pyrus."  Jaren ground his teeth as a deep seeded jealousy rose from his heart.  "He has no right to her."

"Who are we to say how Zera's heart should feel?"  Crystal spoke calmly with the tilt of her head and looked Jaren in the eyes.  "She did love him, as hard as it is for us to accept or understand.  But as her friends, we have no right to judge her or Lord Pyrus."

"I have every right to judge him."  Jaren turned away from Crystal in anger. "If he so loved the Empress, then why wasn't he there to help her?"

"One could say the same thing about you or I."  Crystal spoke with a tone of wisdom that made her sound more like her mother.  It caused Jaren to take pause in his thoughts.  

"I…"  Jaren's shoulder's lowered as his anger began to subside.  He hated Pyrus with a great jealousy, but he couldn't hate Zera for what her heart felt.  As he thought more about it, he began to take pity on her heart.  He knew that he had had ample opportunity to tell Zera how he felt.  He had failed her in that and she had found another.  Then he began to wonder if Pyrus felt this great pain that he felt, this great emptiness where Zera used to be.  He hated Pyrus for taking Zera's heart from him, but in this deep sadness he felt a strange connection to the fire lord.  After all, Pyrus had failed Zera too, and Jaren knew exactly how that felt.  He let out a deep sigh and shook his head.  The emotions brought on by thoughts of Zera invading his mind began to choke his throat with tears.  "I just…" But the words wouldn't come.  In light of Crystal's wisdom, he had no one left to blame. 

"Sshh."  Crystal hushed him softly.  "You hurt."  Crystal came up behind him and gently placed her arms around his shoulders.  "As do I.  As does he.  We have each blamed ourselves for the tragedy, and in doing so we have forgotten one of Zera's greatest wishes.  She wished for us all to be happy, no matter what happened in times to come.  It was one of the foundations of our friendship.  It took me two weeks, and a comforting word from my father, but I now understand what she meant."

"She loved life, didn't she."  Jaren wrapped his arms around Crystals, finding peace in their gentle grasp.  

"Yes, she did."  Crystal placed her chin on Jaren's shoulder, drawing her chest close against his back.  In soft tears, they cried together and watched as the sun set quietly behind the mountains.  In the days to come, they would need their strong friendship more than ever. 

*****

"Are the arrangements finished?" Shard peered over his desk at the short-statured, young, female attendant.  

"Yes, council."  The attendant bowed with a nod.  As Shard's com-line beeped, she looked at his desk curiously.

"That is all."  Shard peered at the unwelcomed curiosity of the attendant.  "You may go."

"Yes, council."  She bowed and hurried on her way, closing the door behind her.

"Yes?"  Shard peered at the com-screen as an image began to form.  The unwelcome site of Jewlia's face brought a grimace to his already sour expression.  "Problem, my dear?"

"Problem?"  Jewlia snarled.  "Problem!  Of course there is a problem!  Your stupid plan didn't work."

"Oh, but it did."  Shard smirked arrogantly.  "You see, my plan worked out just fine."

"What about me?"  Jewlia glared at his arrogance.  "What did I get out of the deal?"

"You got your freedom, didn't you?"  Shard raised an eyebrow.  "I would think you would be more grateful to me than that." 

"What good is freedom when I have to hide in the cargo holds of ships and sleep in the back streets of the armpit taverns of the universe!"  Jewlia snarled.  "When Tekkla wakes up and tells everyone that it was me who shot her, blame will be put on me for that Ice-brat's death!"

"Oh?"  Shard smirked again.  "I never thought of that."

"Like hell you didn't!"  Jewlia was beginning to figure out just how manipulative Shard had been.

"Well, my dear."  Shard spoke in a smooth and confident voice not befitting his age.  "Who ever said that Tekkla is going to wake up?"

"What?"  Jewlia paused, wondering what game Shard was playing at this time. 

"Just be patient, my dear."  Shard gave Jewlia a broad smile.  "Stay where you are for now.  It will all smooth out once Zera…or what is left of her rather…is in the ground.  Then you will get what was promised to you.  You will get everything that you deserve for all your hard work, and for sleeping in the back alleys for a few more nights."

"It had better smooth out."  Jewlia glared at him once more before turning off the com-unit on her end.  She didn't think she had to voice the fact that she would kill him if it didn't.

"Don't worry, my dear."  Shard's smile returned to an arrogant smirk as he stared at the blank com-screen.  "I wont forget about you."

*****

       In the silence of the med lab, deep within the lower levels of the Ice palace, Tekkla's unmoving form gave no sign of life.  Though the monitoring equipment issued a constant beep of assurance that she was alive, her frozen figure reflected the unconscious darkness that had taken a hold on her mind.  As the final preparations for Zera's funeral went on a few floors above her, Tekkla's body lay in its own coffin of glass and nanonyte liquid.  Only she knew the answer that everyone above her was seeking.  Only she knew who had taken the keys away from her.  Only she knew who had kept her from using the moons to protect the alliance.  Only she could begin to help piece together what had truly happened that day.  Only if she could break the cold silence her mind was locked in. 

"Sleep well, my dear."  Shard's bitter-frost gaze looked across the room to where Tekkla slept.  Shard smirked to himself and reset the nanonyte control on Tekkla's monitoring station.  Just enough nanonytes to keep her alive, but not enough to wake her up unexpectedly.  His voice darkened as he turned to leave the room.  "Soon the Alliance will be ready to hear what you have to say, but not yet."

******

       On the next rising of the sun, planet Ice fell to a tangible sadness.  The citizens of their planet, as well as unexpected mourners from the other Alliance planets, gathered around the palace for the ceremony.  The ceremony that would mark the end of a dynasty. 

"Its sad to think that it would take a funeral to get all of these people from the different worlds together like this."  Tibia commented as she walked through the corridors of the Ice palace with Femur and Sternum.  

"Its all Zera ever wanted."  Femur sighed and looked up at Tibia.  "For them to see that maybe they aren't so different after all.  But you're right doll.  She never meant it to be like this."  

"You seemed to have known her well, brother."  Sternum commented in an unemotional tone.  

"Yeah, well."  Femur shrugged.  "She was a good kid, and a good fighter for the Alliance."

"I wish I could have gotten to know her better, then."  Sternum continued his solemn visage ahead.  

"Oh, wonderful."  Femur commented as he heard a loud bawling voice coming his way.  Pelvis appeared around the corner, weeping hysterically into his handkerchief.  Accompanying him was some one Femur didn't recognize at first.  The tall and slender female of Ice walked with a slow and sad grace, the adornments of her outfit causing the light sound of bells as she stepped.  The lightweight gauzy material of her diamond white dress and hooded cape flowed behind her, catching a nonexistent wind.  It was only when she looked up to the group from planet Bone did her melancholic face register in Femur's mind.  "Crystal." 

"Oh, its so dreadful."  Pelvis hiccupped before blowing loudly into his handkerchief.  "I can't imagine how you must feel."  

"She'd probably feel a lot better with out you stumbling and crying all over her."  Femur sighed. 

"I know…its just that….its… so"  Pelvis began again before running to the nearest restroom in hysteria.  

"Sorry about that."  Femur motioned his thumb in the general direction of Pelvis as Crystal paused in her steps.

"It is quite alright, Ambassador."  Crystal closed her eyes and bowed her head to them.  Her calm gaze turned to Sternum.  Her bow deepened before him.  "Thank you for honoring my Empress with your presence, Emperor Sternum."

"The honor is mine."  Sternum stated with slightly more emotion that he had spoken in before.  He surveyed her for a moment, actually taking note of her for the first time in their many encounters.  The sad beauty about her and the lack of Zera's normal presence beside her made her stand out for the first time in her life.  As she rose from the bow, their eyes meet for a small moment before she turned them away in respect. 

"You are Tibia?"  Crystal questioned softly.

"Yes, that's me hun."  Tibia replied, deep with concern for Crystal's obvious emotional pain. 

"I want to thank you, for my people and for the Empress Zera, for being so brave and risking your life for the Alliance."  Crystal's voice wavered slightly as she spoke Zera's name, still finding it impossible to speak of her in the past tense.  "With out the information you provided, much more grief surly would have befallen us." 

"Your welcome."  Tibia was unsure of what to say.  Crystal's strength surprised her, as well as caused a deep admiration for her.  "You know, hun.  If you ever need to talk, or need a friend some time, you're always welcome among us."

"Thank you."  Crystal bowed her head to them truly appreciative of their words.  

"Crystal, they are ready."  Jaren spoke up from behind Sternum and Femur. 

"Yes, of course."  The melancholy of her face deepened as she remembered the task that lay before her.  Sternum and Femur moved aside to let her pass.  As she passed, she paused and turned to Femur.  "Lord Pyrus is in the upper balcony, farthest down to your right."  

"Thanks, Crystal."  Femur nodded.  The look in her eyes told him that she knew of Pyrus's great sadness.  They watched as Crystal once again began her steady walk of silent grace, the adornments of her garments twinkling a light sound like that of a million falling tears.   Pelvis watched her go past with a loud sniffle before the group from Bone began to head off to the balcony.  Femur turned to his brother to say something, only to see him still standing in silence, watching as Crystal disappeared around the corner. "You commin?" 

"Yes."  Sternum cleared his throat and blinked a few times.  He didn't understand why, but the melancholic grace of Crystal had drawn his attention like a deep spell of sadness. Then he realized how much it reminded him of how his mother used to walk around the palace, her arranged marriage to Femur's father never bringing her a day of joy.  As the thought of his mother came up, he set his jaw and pushed his emotions back to the depths of his mind.  He turned to his brother and began to follow after.  "Yes. I'm coming."

*****

"There is Zuma and the delegation from planet Sand."  Jade commented as she and Graveheart joined the crowd that had gathered on the second balcony of the grand hall where the ceremony was to take place. 

"I spoke with her earlier."  Graveheart nodded and spoke in a whisper to Jade's ear.  "She said that her people searched for any signs of Zera's mind, but were unable to find anything.  She said though, that here people are still refusing to give up."

"They still think there is a chance?"  Jade replied in the same low whisper, knowing that their line of conversation wasn't exactly appropriate.  

"Yeah, I guess."  Graveheart shrugged.  "Zuma said that is Zera was unconscious, they wouldn't be able to reach her, just like they can't reach Tekkla's mind."  

"Its still a far away chance."  Jade sighed heavily.  She felt around for Graveheart's hand and gave it a firm squeeze when she found it.  "Still, there is hope." 

"Its good to hear you say that."  Graveheart whispered as he retuned the squeeze. "It's about to begin." 

"This feels uncomfortably familure."  Jade commented, expressing Graveheart's own thoughts as well.  It seemed only yesterday that they attended this ceremony to lay Cryos to rest. 

"Indeed it does."  Gala's voice replied quietly as he stepped up beside Jade and Graveheart.  Gala's face was calm and stoic, but he could not stop the small pools of water from forming in his eyes as the room became still.  He only nodded once as Jade placed a hand on his shoulder to acknowledge their shared pain. The pain that was felt within each of the three warriors; Graveheart, Jade, and Gala; needed no words. 

*****

       Femur and his group stepped up behind where Pyrus stood enshrouded in the shadows of the balcony.  He did not look away from the bottom floor as the crowd grew still, awaiting what was to come.  The only acknowledgment of the Bone delegation's presence came from Ash and her mother, Ashanta.  Captain Blaze kept a steady gaze on his King, not sure of how his feelings were telling him to act.  The group joined them in the silence.  Pyrus didn't have to tell Femur he was glad to have him there; Femur knew.  Femur stood closest to him, Tibia at his side, and Sternum peering out over the balcony.  

       Sternum took quiet note of the people below on the ground floor and on the second balcony.  Zuma's group stood out among the bottom floor crowd, no one around them standing too close. Their eyes were closed, as if in a strange and silent prayer.  A movement from the second balcony caught his attention and drew his eyes to Graveheart, Jade, and Gen. Gala.  Gala looked as calm and stoic as his daughter had looked.  Jade's warrior strength seemed to be holding firm, along with her firm grip on Graveheart's hand.  Sternum grimaced at this and took his eyes away from the group.  He still hated those reminders of how he had lost Jade to Graveheart, if he ever really had her at all.  Sternum opened his eyes again and began to notice the occasional and secretive glances that many people in the crowd were taking in his group's direction.  Curious as to Pyrus's demeanor, no doubt.  Their looks seemed to in fact be filled with a knowing concern.  It seemed his group on the third balcony were not the only ones in the Alliance who had some idea as to Pyrus's relationship with Zera.  Sternum found it surprising that instead of being angry at such a thing most seemed sad for Pyrus's loss.  Perhaps, Sternum thought, the Alliance had come a lot further in forgetting their differences than even Zera had realized.  

 One person looking in Pyrus's direction, however, seemed to contradict that notion.  Sternum gazed at the man for a moment before remembering who it was.  It was that tall young Captain of the Royal Guard, Jaren.  Sternum had met Jaren only once before, and he wondered why there was so much anger and hate in the Ice soldier's eyes as he stared at Pyrus.  Jaren suddenly switched his focus from Pyrus to Sternum.  The hate in his eyes vanished, but the deep-set anger remained.  As a loud crystalline bell sounded through the hall, Jaren turned his eyes to the large doors.  Sternum decided to let the look go for now as he turned to watch the great doors being pulled open by several Ice soldiers with large golden ropes.

An uneasy sigh filled the hall chamber as the emptiness in Pyrus's heart grew larger.  He watched the procession through hazy, memory filled, eyes.  The first to step through the door were the Nortu-rath-me'anna.  The four Ice females, dressed in the same gauzy material that Crystal wore but with out any adornments, represented the four winds that blew steadily across the surface of planet Ice.  In Ice's mythology of the ancient times, these Nortu spirits where the ones to lead the souls of the dead to the after life.  The soft, mournful, and wordless song that they sang vibrated through the hall and deep into the heart of Pyrus. He felt as if they were calling him to join with Zera's soul as the winds carried it to the other realm.  Something that he would gladly do.  

Following the winds came the legion of Drach'mar; the six female warriors who were sworn to protect the Empress they served at any cost.  Crystal's mother had been a Drach'mar to Empress Glace and had died protecting her.  The look of failure on the Drach'mar's faces sought no sympathy from the crowd.  Though still young in their training, they felt they had failed their Empress.  Though she had commanded them to look after the children in the palace, they had still failed her.  Though she chose to sacrifice herself, they had still failed her. That failure, no matter how unavoidable, would live with them and burn into their souls for all eternity. 

As the Drach'mar walked slowly in beat to the Nortu's calling, their eyes focused on the black capsule were Zera's body would have been laid.  The male soldiers of the Royal Guard formed around the Drach'mars and began to march with them.  It was a sign of their shared feeling of failure.  The bowing heads of the onlookers as they passed showed that the people had no ill will toward them.  They forgave them without grievance, even if that forgiveness was unwanted.   They stopped their walking as the Nortu's call ended.  Now encircling the capsule, with a small passage left up the middle, they bowed before it.  The silence remained in the hall for an unbearable second before the sounds of the Orens could be heard.  The Orens, or the tear stones, around Crystal's ankles lightly rang as she began her walk into the great hall with her head in a deep bow.  She stopped as she reached the great doors and lifted her head high to look out over the crowd.  In this way she, the Drach'mar Nich to the Empress, called for silent memory of the life Zera had shared with them all.  

It was then that Jaren, fully dressed in the Captain of the Royal Guard's uniform, stepped forward to present Crystal with Zera's crown.  The remains of Zera's crown, all they had found of her to lay to rest, sat on a silken pillow covered with a black veil.  As before, the weight of it seemed immense and unnatural to the carrier.  With a silent nod, Crystal accepted the burden and Jaren bowed to her and stepped aside.  Crystal held her head high in pride of her duty to show respect to her Empress.  Her eyes met with the Nortu-rath-me'anna and they once again began their call to Zera's spirit.  With each slow and heavy footfall that Crystal took toward the burial capsule, the Orens' sound echoed through the hall.

The sounds of the Orens cut into Pyrus's spirit like sharp knives of despair.  The song of the Nortu called in time with them, their voices laced with the real tears of the chosen young girls who sang the lament. With each slow and methodical ring of the Orens, memories of Zera flashed unwanted though Pyrus's mind.  

~*Hear the Orens as they call*~

_A young Zera laughed and looked over her shoulder as Pyrus looked up at her from his position on the rocky path.  "There is a lot about my people that you don't know." _

_He had vowed to himself in that moment to learn all he could about the race from _

_which such a strong a captivating girl had come. _

~*Hear the Orens as they sing*~

  _A teenage Zera glared at him as he kept the smooth smirk on his face.  "Listen, match stick, I can beat you anytime, anywhere." _

_"Oh, I'm so sure, Zera the warrior princess."  Pyrus remembered saying those words so clearly.  The anger on her face that day quickly being replaced with a soft laughter.  The sound of her laughter brought him so much joy. _

_The memory of it brought him so much pain._

~*A thousand tears, with the Orens, fall*~

       _"I know it's hard."  Pyrus heard his mind speaking.  "No one is ever ready to _

_       lead their people."_

_"No, Pyrus."  The Empress Zera clung to him in a quiet sob as they stood in the chamber with the statue of Cryos. "I wasn't ready to be alone."_

_So much time he had wasted in keeping away from her.  _

_Time now lost forever._

~*A thousand tears with each Oren's ring*~

       _"Please do not leave me."  The Empress Zera clung to him one again, the deep _

_       sadness from her tear filled eyes calling to his heart.  "I fear you will be lost_

_       to me." _

_       "I will never be lost to you."  Pyrus's heart called out the promise that had_

_       failed her.  As the procession carried on below him unseen, he could feel the sting _

_       of tear sliding down his cheeks.  "I love you, Zera."_

_       "I love you too."  Zera's smile broke his soul into pieces.  "I always have."_

_       So had he, but he had been too stubborn to admit it._

_       And now she was gone._

_       All they had had was that single night._

_       And now he was alone._

_~*_ That is the Oren's despair*~ 

"I can't do this."  Pyrus heard himself say as the Nortu's song ended.  Crystal had reached her destination.  She now stood before the black enameled capsule, preparing to bid farewell to her empress.  With out another word, Pyrus left his spot on the balcony and walked down the corridor, alone.

****

       Sternum took his eyes away from the proceedings below as he noticed movement behind him.  Taking note of everyone on the balcony, he realized Pyrus was missing.  He looked to his brother for an explanation, but Femur just shook his head in sadness.   Since Femur had chosen not to follow, Sternum thought it best that Pyrus be left to his own thoughts for now.  As Crystal's voice began to speak below them, Sternum found his eyes once more drawn to her.

****

       Jaren watched in angered silence as Pyrus's form disappeared from the third balcony.  He couldn't believe how disrespectful the Fire Lord was being in leaving the ceremony.  That disrespect made Jaren hate him all the more.  Crystal's voice, however, subdued his anger, and he turned his eyes back to her melancholic face.

****

       Pyrus found himself stopping in the corridor as he heard the faint and distant voice of Crystal as she began to speak.  She was being so strong for Zera.  He only wished he could be as strong.  After a deep inhale of the morning air,  Pyrus resumed his walk, heading for the only place he thought he could find some comfort.  

****

"We gather together this morning to honor the Empress Zera."  Crystal began as she turned to survey the crowd, Zera's crown still in her hands.  "I know that if Zera were here, she would feel honored.  Here, in this room and outside in cities, people have gathered to remember her.  More than that, people from different worlds have gathered together.  In this room, I can see representatives from each of the Alliance worlds, an Alliance Empress Zera held with the deepest of love and admiration."

****

       Pyrus stopped in front of the ornate doors and wiped away the tears stinging his cheeks.  Finding them locked, he leaned heavily against them and cursed.  They were keeping him from finding what he wanted, keeping him from solace, keeping him from more memories of her.  Memories that he wanted to get lost in.  He stood back and glared angrily at them with a snarl of frustration.  Without thinking, he took his staff from his belt and bushed the button to elongate it.  With a yell of pent up fury, he jammed his staff into the door lock, destroying it.  The door creaked open for him as he lowered his staff.  With another deep inhale, he stepped inside of Zera's private chamber and shut the door behind him.

****

"But Zera would not have wanted this gathering to be full of such remorse."  Crystal continued, with all eyes on her.  As she spoke, holding onto the weight of Zera's crown, she found a new strength with in her.  Her eyes fell to Jaren for a moment before she began to speak again.  "Empress Zera loved life.  She would want us to remember that and honor her by doing the same."

****

       Pyrus stood in the center of Zera's room, the rich fabrics of her bed and curtains blowing in the cool morning wind.  Pyrus couldn't feel the cold.  He couldn't feel anything. He felt completely numb.  The thick sent of her in the room invaded his mind and stopped his breath.  He found himself content to stay in that silence forever.  As the memories of her came flooding back, he welcomed them and let them consume him.  The world outside of that room didn't seem to exist anymore, and he could find no reason to care that it was gone.

****

"Look around you, and realize how alike you all are."  Crystal continued.  "The petty differences can continue no more.  To do so would be to disrespect the life that Empress Zera so loved.  I ask that you remember my words when you leave here, and in doing so you will never forget her."

****

"I'm so sorry."  Pyrus fell heavily to his knees.  "I'm so sorry that I didn't listen to you.  You called out to me and I couldn't hear you.  I was so consumed with the Beast that I couldn't hear you."  The tears one again began to fall as he slumped forward, reliving each moment that he had spent with her.  "You were right, Zera.  You were so right.  With out you…" He opened his eyes and looked up, calling to her spirit, unknowingly completing the vision she had shared with Zuma in what seemed a lifetime ago.

 "…I am lost."  

Pyrus whispered, the pain of his soul contorting his face until he could stand it no more.  He lowered his face once more and let himself be lost in the memories of her.

****

_I am lost_

       The soft whisper invaded the darkness of the universe, calling out with the pain of lost love.  The deep emotion carried it across the Alliance cluster and into the reaches of the starry void.  It searched the unending darkness for a light that resembled its own.  The spirit of this emotion found that light in the most unexpected of places.  With confusion it entered the bowls of the deathly red Beast.  

For a single instant it was able to survive in the presence of such destructive power, and it called out the light it had found.

"Pyrus?"  Zera's mind blurred to life as the light found her.

And then that moment was over and the light was extinguished. 

"How did you manage to wake up?"  Lamprey snarled and glared at the stasis chamber's readings.  They seemed perfectly normal.  Lamprey looked back up to see Zera's brain functions return to zero.  She surveyed the nearly dead Empress for one more moment before walking out of the room.  "Now be a good little Ice-brat and stay that way until you are of use to us."

"What was it?"  Blokk looked up from his display panel.  "A lot of drones were wasted getting her."

"It was just a glitch in the system."  Lamprey shrugged and thought back to the Empress.  Lamprey could still taste the sweetness of victory she had felt when one of the surviving drones from the fleet attacking planet Ice had brought Zera to her.  She was so broken and near death, but she was still useful to their cause.  

"How much longer until I get to beat the Alliance's world-engine codes out of here?"  Blokk said with great desire.

"Soon."  Lamprey stared down at him.  "And then the alliance will fall." 

****

_Hear the Orens as they call_

_Hear the Orens as they sing_

_A thousand tears, with the Orens, fall_

_A thousand tears with each Oren's ring_

_That is the Orens' despair_

_****_

_Pronunciations / Definitions_

Nortu-rath-me-anna (Nor-too  rahth  meh  ahnnah )  also called simply The Nortu 

       The ancient mythological name for the spirits belonging to the four winds of Ice.  They are believed to carry the souls of the dead to the afterlife.

Drach'Mar  (Drahk Marr)

       The female royal guard assigned to fight for and protect the Empress.

Drach'mar Nich  (Drahk mar Nish)

       The personal attendant and confidant to the Empress. 

Orens (Orinz) 

       Small ceremonial bells, also called the tear stones, which are worn around the ankles.  __


	11. Where did AvA Go?

Where did AvA-181 go?

Hello everyone! It has been quite a few years since I updated any of my Shadow Raiders or ReBoot fanfics or added anything new.

I have been through a whirlwind of changes in my life, including moving to another country, getting married and becoming a published Science Fiction author.

The ReBoot and Shadow Raiders fandom universe will always hold a special place in my heart because it helped to inspire me and lead me down the path to creating my own universe for my book series. I currently have one book in the series published on Amazon, a free short story on my website and the next book is in progress, due to be published in March of 2013.

To learn more about my current publications, you can visit my website: cekilgore . com

I also would love to hear from you through google+, facebook or twitter. There are links to my accounts on my website. I would love to hear what you all have been up too for the past few years.

Cheers!

AvA-181 ( C.E. Kilgore )


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